“Learn from my brother Rahul Gandhi. He is ready to take a bullet for the nation, but you are not ready to take a few uncomfortable remarks in your stride,” Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.
One has to take such attacks in one's stride in public life, Vadra said at a meeting in Jamkhandi in Bagalkot district of Karnataka ahead of the May 10 Assembly elections in the state.
“Don't fear Modiji. This is public life and one has to bear such things. One needs to have courage and move forward. Now that I'm talking to you, let me tell you, if you learn one more thing it will be good: listen to the voice of the people,” she said. “Have courage, Modiji. My brother says he will stand for truth, whether you abuse, shoot a bullet or stab with a knife,” the Congress leader said.
Modi slammed Congress chief on Saturday
Modi had on Saturday targeted Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for the “venomous snake” barb and said that the party and its leaders had hurled 91 abuses at him.
Vadra hit back saying: “At least they (91 abuses) fitting in one page. If you look at the abuses they have hurled at my family and if we start making a list, we will publish book after book about it.”
“What I am seeing over the past two-three days is strange. I have seen many Prime Ministers. Indiraji (Indira Gandhi), she took bullets for this country. I have seen Rajiv Gandhi. He sacrificed his life for this country. I have seen PV Narsimha Rao and Manmohan Singh working hard for this country. But he (Modi) is the first Prime Minister I have seen who comes before you and cries that he is being abused. Instead of listening to your grief, he is coming here and telling you his (problems),” she said.
Someone in his office had made a list of the people who had abused the prime minister and how many times, instead of making a list of the problems of the people, the Congress leader said.
Siddaramaiah slams Modi
Meanwhile, in Dharward, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah threw a challenge to Modi asking if he could run with him. He was responding to a veiled jibe by the prime minister who, during a rally in Karnataka, said the former chief minister was seeking votes in the name of retirement from active politics. “Let’s go for a run,” Siddaramaiah said while sharing a video of him running along with Rahul Gandhi during the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ last year. He also tagged Modi.
“Did you, Mr @narendramodi, remove @BSYBJP as CM because he was tired? And then you begged him to campaign for you in the elections. Let us, you & me, go for a run & see who is tired. I will serve my people till my last breath,” he said.
(To receive our E-paper on WhatsApp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
