‘He was probably having Modi on’: Rahul Gandhi’s dig at PM’s Obama moment

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is often described by his party as a workaholic who sleeps for just a few hours, presenting him as a sharp contrast to Congress president Rahul Gandhi who is projected by the BJP as a politician lacking commitment.

In an interview, Rahul Gandhi attempted to shake off this perception about a prime minister who hardly sleeps for a few hours and spends most of his time at work.

“Who said not sleeping is the measure of working?” Gandhi said.

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“How do you define work? Do you define work as coming in front of a camera and waving? I don’t define work like that. An essential part of my work is spending time thinking about, and listening to people’s voices and using those interactions to develop a strategy for the country,” Rahul Gandhi told Hindustan Times.

Gandhi also insisted that he spent a lot more time than PM Modi thinking about the country.

“I will bet you, whatever you want, that as far as thinking about India is concerned, I’m spending at least 10 times the amount of time, that Mr Narendra Modi is spending,” the Congress president said.

PM Modi had also spoken about his sleep pattern during his interview with actor Akshay Kumar also. The prime minister, who had earlier said that he sleeps for just about 3-4 hours every day, told the actor that this was a topic that had come when he met US President Barack Obama in early 2015.

When HT pointed out that even Barack Obama was reported to have been amazed by the PM’s ability to work with less sleep, Gandhi said, “Mr Barack Obama was probably having him on! The Americans do psychological profiles of all leaders and they tell you exactly what you want to hear.”

“And Mr Narendra Modi bought it hook, line and sinker,” said Gandhi, who has been the target of a campaign that attempts to ridicule him. Like when he put off a press conference by a few hours earlier in March, the BJP took a swipe at him claiming that he must have overslept.

This week, BJP president Amit Shah described PM Modi as a leader who has worked for 18 hours daily for the last 18 years and contrasted his 24X7 working style to Rahul Gandhi who he said, dashes off to undisclosed foreign destinations at the slightest discomfort.