Union Culture Minister and BJP MP Mahesh Sharma has kicked up an unsavoury controversy by describing Congress president Rahul Gandhi as “Pappu” and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as “Pappu ki Pappi” during a poll campaign in Gautam Buddh Nagar, inviting sharp riposte from the Opposition
A purported video of Sharma's speech in his parliamentary constituency's Sikandrabad area has gone viral on social media in which he is seen condemning not only Gandhi family politicians, but also other regional leaders including BSP supremo Mayawati, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and SP president Akhilesh Yadav.
“Pappu kehta hai main prime minister banunga… Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav, Pappu.. Aur ab 'Pappu ki Pappi' bhi aa gayi hai. Wo Priyanka kya pehle hamare desh ki beti nahi thi kya, Congress ki beti nahi thi kya, aage nahi rahegi kya? kya naya leke aayi hai? (Pappu says he wants to become Prime Minister. Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav, Pappu... And now ‘Pappu’s Pappi’ has also arrived! Wasn't Priyanka already a daughter of this nation, a daughter of the Congress. And would she not remain so in future? What new has she brought in?),” he told a crowd of his supporters during his speech delivered on March 16.
Regional politicians like West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee or her Karnataka counterpart H D Kumaraswamy would make no difference to the local people even if they were “to come dance or sing” here, Sharma said.
“If Mamata Banerjee dances Kathak (a classical dance form) here, Kumarasawamy, the CM of Karanataka, comes and sings a song here, who is going to listen to them? They have just 72 seats (in Lok Sabha). How will they get 200 more (for a simple majority)?” the Minister said. Congress national secretary and UP-west co-incharge Dheeraj Gurjar slammed the Minister for his remarks.
“As are his thoughts, so are his words. Being on such a responsible post, Sharma ji has made such a remark against a woman! It is condemnable,” Gurjar told PTI. “The BJP on its own should take some action against him.”
Sharma also claimed opposition leaders do not want a strong Government at the Centre but a weak one. They want to support “Pappu, who has remained a Pappu”, he said. He also attacked the Congress party for keeping the Nehru-Gandhi family at the helm.
“First (Pandit Jawaharlal) Nehru, then (former PM) Rajiv Gandhi, then Sanjay Gandhi, thereafter Rahul (Gandhi) and now Priyanka (Gandhi Vadra)...And if there will be another, it will also be a Gandhi. Are they doing some favour to the country?” he asked.
“If you want to rise above them, you can see only one tiger and that is (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi,” he said.
Gautam Buddh Nagar goes to polls on April 11 in the first of the seven-phased Lok Sabha elections. Sikandrabad, which geographically falls in the Bulandshahr district, is a part of the Gautam Buddh Nagar parliamentary seat.