Election results will determine whether Modi is Duryodhana or Arjun, says Shah
Launching a blistering attack at the Narendra Modi Government, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday invoked the fate of Mahabharata’s main villain Duryodhana to warn that the country has never forgiven such arrogance.
Addressing a rally in Ambala (Haryana), Priyanka, used the Mahabharata analogy to hit back at Modi over his “bhrashtachari (corrupt) No. 1” jibe at her father Rajiv Gandhi and said the Mahabharata character Duryodhana too had “such arrogance”.
The Congress leader also dared Modi to fight the Lok Sabha elections on issues like development rather than diverting the people’s attention.
Priyanka said the country has never forgiven ego and arrogance. “History is witness to this, Mahabharata is witness to this…Duryodhana too had such arrogance. When Lord Krishna went to make him understand, he tried to take him captive,” she said.
The Congress general secretary for UP also read out a couplet by Hindi poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, saying wisdom is the first casualty before someone’s downfall, “Jab naash manush par chhata hai, pehle vivek mar jata hai...”
BJP president Amit Shah slammed Priyanka for comparing the PM with Duryodhana and said the election outcome on May 23 will determine whether Modi is Duryodhan or Arjun.
“Priyanka has compared Modi ji with Duryodhana. People of the country will decide who is Duryadhana and who is Arjun on May 23? Priyanka ji, do not worry, people will tell you whether Modi ji is Duryodan or Arjun,” Shah said at an election rally in Bengal’s Midnapore.
Priyanka’s veiled attack at Modi came a day after Congress chief Rahul Gandhi used the boxer analogy at a rally in Haryana, referring to the alleged mistreatment meted out to veteran LK Advani in BJP.
Rahul had said in Bhiwani that the Prime Minister is a “boxer”, who with his 56-inch chest entered the ring to fight unemployment and corruption but instead punched his own coach and veteran BJP leader LK Advani.
Continuing the tirade against BJP, Priyanka said, “This election is about achievements of the BJP-led Central Government. But to hide their failures, they try to divert the attention of people of country.”
“You are the PM, you are a big leader of the BJP, You should understand this… Otherwise the people will teach you a lesson. You cannot mislead the people. The people of this country make every leader answerable and they will make you answerable as well,” she said while hitting out at Modi.
Attacking the PM for recently saying former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s life ended as ‘bhrashtachari number 1’, she said, “These polls are not about one family, this election is about crores of families whose hopes and aspirations have been completely broken by this Government and the Prime Minister.”
Priyanka addressed two election rallies each at Ambala and Hisar on Monday.
In Ambala, Congress candidate Rajya Sabha MP Kumari Selja is pitted against BJP’s Rattan Lal Kataria while at Hisar, Congress’ Bhavya Bishnoi is locked in a triangular fight against BJP’s Brijendra Singh and JJP-AAP joint candidate Dushyant Chautala.
She also held a roadshow in the evening at Rohtak in favour of party candidate, three-time MP Deepender Singh Hooda, who is facing a tough electoral fight against BJP’s Arvind Sharma.
At Hisar rally, Priyanka said the democracy of the country is in danger today. The PM is seeking votes in the name of our martyr of Army and on the other hand dishonouring them, she said.
She said the country does not need a “Shahnshah” rather it requires a democracy. Modi had shattered the economy of this country, she said while asking where are the two crore jobs promised by the BJP.