BJP dismisses Rahul’s future PM prospects

The BJP on Friday took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on his 56th birthday, dismissing projections of him as a future prime minister and asserting that a PM from the Nehru-Gandhi family is a “thing of the distant past”.

The ruling party also said repeated attempts to reinvent Gandhi's image have failed to win public support and challenged the Congress leader to do serious work on the ground instead of engaging in “frivolous and mischievous” activities.

Addressing a press conference here, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family has not occupied the post since Rajiv Gandhi.

“A prime minister from the Nehru-Gandhi family has become a thing of the distant past. The last prime minister from the Nehru-Gandhi family was the late Rajiv Gandhi. Since 1989, 37 years have passed,” Trivedi said, when asked about Congress leaders projecting Gandhi as a future prime minister and his recent claim that the Government would fall within a year.

“Even today, if they are talking about Rahul Gandhi becoming prime minister in the future, he will have to do something serious on the ground instead of engaging in activities that are frivolous and mischievous,” he added.

Replying sharply to Youth Congress workers celebrating Gandhi's 56th birthday by depicting him as Lord Parshuram, Trivedi said it should be left to the”wisdom of the people” to decide how the day should be observed.

“I think Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's birthday used to be celebrated as Children's Day. I leave it to the wisdom of the people and viewers to decide what day Rahul Gandhi's birthday should be observed as,” Trivedi said.

Youth Congress workers in Varanasi celebrated Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's 56th birthday with symbolic rituals, including pouring milk over his photograph in the Ganga River.

In the image used during the celebration, Gandhi was depicted as Lord Parshuram, holding an axe in one hand and a copy of the Constitution in the other.

Trivedi, a Rajya Sabha MP, said despite undergoing” dramatic” changes in style, body language and appearance in over a decade, Gandhi has continued to” lose his place in the hearts of the people”.

Targeting the opposition alliance, Trivedi claimed that the INDIA bloc has lost relevance.

“I think the very existence of the INDIA (bloc) has become a subject for reflection. When Narendra Modi became prime minister, there was the UPA.

“Where is the UPA today? What is its actual status?” he said.