Congress outsourcing work to abuse me: Modi takes a dig at AAP in Gujarat rally

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the Congress has outsourced the work of abusing him ahead of the Gujarat assembly elections later this year, as he launched a veiled attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which is trying to make inroads into the state.

Modi’s remark came two days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed AAP’s Gujarat chief Gopal Italia for allegedly calling the former a “neech aadmi” (a lowly person).

Addressing a rally in Jamkandorna town of Rajkot district, the Prime Minister warned BJP workers and supporters to be aware of the opposition Congress.

“When you watch a cricket match on television, you can get a better understanding of where the ball is moving as compared to when you are inside a stadium. Similarly, sitting in Delhi, I get a better view of the kind of games being played here,” Modi said.

“They tried to trouble me for two decades, but the people of Gujarat have foiled all their attempts. In every election, they tried to defame me, using terms like maut ka saudagar (merchant of death),” he said.

In 2007, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had triggered an uproar after she called Modi, who was then Gujarat chief minister, “maut ka saudagar”. She later issued a clarification, saying she meant to say “mat” (votes) and not “maut” (death). The BJP defeated the Congress by winning 117 out of 182 assembly seats that year.

Modi alleged the Congress has come up with a new strategy to defame him.

“They (Congress) are not holding rallies or addressing press conferences and even if they are doing, they don’t say anything derogatory against me. The Congress is working silently, going to villages, shedding tears and asking people to vote for them. The contract for using abusive language against me has been outsourced by the Congress,” he said, without naming the AAP.

“I should warn you against this silent strategy of the opposition party. I know this as this is being controlled by those who are known to conspire against Gujarat from Delhi,” he added.

BJP’s IT cell-incharge Amit Malviya on Sunday shared a purported video of Italia on Twitter wherein the latter can be heard calling Modi a “neech aadmi”. The BJP called it an “insult to the democratic process of India and the state”.

The AAP, a new entrant to the poll fray in the state, on Monday defended its party leader and accused the BJP of targeting Italia as he belongs to a poor family.

In the run up to the Gujarat assembly polls in 2017, former Union minister and Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar had stoked controversy by using the same term for Modi. While the Congress suspended him from its primary membership, it revoked its decision nine months later.

When the Centre makes a move against corruption, “an entire group shouts against us”, Modi alleged as he targeted the ruling AAP in Delhi over a purported excise policy scam.

“Why don’t you give a straight reply to the allegations levelled against you. You will have to pay back whatever you have looted from the public. Shouldn’t I continue to work despite criticism? I have your full blessings,” he said.

The Congress hit back, saying it appeared as though Modi had sensed that the BJP is losing ground in Gujarat.

“The amount of time the Prime Minister is spending campaigning in Gujarat instead of focusing on national issues reflects this. You can find half a dozen of their senior leaders, including central ministers, in Gujarat on any given day this time. The party is losing its core voters,” state Congress general secretary Nishit Vyas said.

“There is no other party besides the Congress that can resolve the problems faced by the people in Gujarat today. The Prime Minister is trying to instill fear to win votes,” he added.

The AAP, which is currently in power in Delhi and Punjab and looking to make inroads into Gujarat, also claimed the Prime Minister was fearing its popularity in the state.

“The Prime Minister is repeatedly attacking the AAP without naming it. AAP’s popularity is rising in Gujarat and the Prime Minister is also recognising this. We have been closely following his and other BJP leaders’ speeches and they show how worried they are about AAP’s rise in Gujarat,” AAP state general secretary Manoj Sorathiya said.

“The Prime Minister said in his address that the Congress is silently working in Gujarat for elections. Somewhere, BJP wants Congress to rise, else they will be in big trouble if the anti-incumbency votes go to AAP,” he added.