New Delhi: Congress leaders slammed PM Modi over his recent comments on choice of food and said it was an attempt to polarise a tough national election.
Though the PM did not take any names, his comments made during a poll rally in Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir were seemingly directed at former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav.
In September 2023, Rahul had released a video where he was seen cooking ‘Champaran mutton’ along with RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his daughter Misa Bharti. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra had then alleged the said video was shot during the holy month of “Sawan” when majority Hindus don’t consume non-veg food but was released later to avoid any controversy.
Recently, Tejaswi Yadav released a video where he was seen having a fish party aboard a helicopter along with ally and VIP leader Mukesh Sahni. After the BJP reacted strongly to the video released during the auspicious “Navratri” period, the duo claimed it had been shot earlier but was released later deliberately to check the IQ of the saffron party leaders.
The PM, who had recently said the Congress poll manifesto bore the imprint of Muslim League ideology, further noted that such leaders making such videos during auspicious period like Sawan and Navratri reflected the ideology of the Mughals who used to raze Hindu temples to show down the community after defeating the local rulers.
“There was a time when the British used to make similar comments to divide the Indians and rule over them. Now the PM is resorting to such comments like recognizing people from their clothes, food habits etc. The Muslim League remark for our manifesto was not needed at all. We took great care and summarized the feedback of thousands of people to finalize the document. The PM does not realize the significance of being the head of a great country. The people are now recognizing the PM from his speeches,” former Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister and manifesto committee member TS Singh Deo told ETV Bharat.
“He has become directionless and is not talking about development at all. Such comments indicate the BJP is in a tight spot in a tough election and is trying to polarize the electorate. Even people contesting municipal polls talk about development works. This is after all a national election,” he said.
According to AICC functionary Chandan Yadav, such comments degraded the high office of the PM.
“This is unfortunate. Such comments bring disrepute to the high office of the Indian Prime Minister. Why does he not have any achievements to list from his 10-year rule in the poll season. Now he has come down to the clothes and food of opposition leaders. Tomorrow, he may peep into their bathrooms. The opposition is fighting the polls over real issues like unemployment, education, price rise and social justice while the PM is talking about chicken, mutton and fish. This when recent electoral bonds data released by Election Commission showed the BJP allegedly received donations from beef exporting companies. But they preach to others on vegetarianism. This is strange,” Yadav told ETV Bharat.
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