New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s reference to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar with the honorific “ji” triggered a political row between the Congress and the BJP Monday.
Union minister Smriti Irani, who faced off with Gandhi in Amethi in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and has been working in the constituency ever since, took to Twitter to attack the Congress president.
“What is common between Rahul Gandhi and Pakistan? Their love for terrorists. Please note Rahul ji’s reverence for terrorist Masood Azhar — a testimony to #RahulLovesTerrorists,” she tweeted along with a video clip of Gandhi’s speech.
However, soon after this, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala also took to Twitter and said Gandhi’s reference to Masood Azhar as “ji” was a taunt.
“Is it not the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval who had released Masood Azhar during the Kandahar incident? Is it not true that Modi had called ISI to investigate the Pathankot incident?”
What Gandhi actually said
Referring to the Pulwama terror attack, Gandhi said the attack was done by the JeM and the BJP government was forgetting that it was during its earlier tenure in power that Azhar was released in exchange for the passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-814. He recalled that Azhar was accompanied by Ajit Doval, now the NSA.
“Aircraft mein Masood Azhar ji ke saath baith kar jo aaj national security advisor hain Ajit Doval… Masood Azhar ko jaa kar Kandahar mein hawaale kar ke aa gaye they,” he said to a gathering of 13,000 booth level workers who had gathered at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium as part of the convention called ‘Mera Booth, Mera Gaurav’ (my booth, my pride).
He also said two Congress prime ministers had been “martyred”, so the Congress would not bow down to anyone. “Congress ke do PM shaheed hue hain, hum kisi ke aage nahin jhukte,” he said.
Earlier, veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh had referred to Osama Bin Laden as “ji”, evoking sharp criticism from the BJP and other parties.
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No tie-up with AAP
Hinting that there won’t be a tie-up between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress, Gandhi urged booth-level workers in Delhi to ensure that the party wins all seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital.
“Congress has to win all the seven seats in Delhi. The booth-level workers have to ensure it,” Gandhi said in his first public address since the Election Commission announced the Lok Sabha polls, officially kick-starting the election process.
However, Gandhi did seem a bit guarded in criticising the AAP, as he blamed “two parties” for the sealing drive that has troubled the trading community in the capital.
The BJP had swept all seven seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in Delhi.
Delhi cabinet minister Gopal Rai of the AAP had said Monday that his party was not in talks with the Congress for an alliance in the city-state.
Income guarantee explained
Gandhi also acknowledged that a number of queries have come up asking for greater details regarding the Congress’ promise of a minimum income guarantee. Explaining the scheme for the first time, he said the Congress would set a threshold which would be the minimum income that every Indian should be eligible for, and all those falling below that threshold would be given the difference between the two.
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Other issues addressed
Gandhi also spoke about certain issues specific to Delhi, including the sealing drive, prices of petrol and diesel, and promised that loans would be provided for small and medium-scale traders in the capital.
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet ‘Make in India’ scheme, Gandhi said: “PM Modi keeps talking about ‘Make in India’, but his shirt, shoes, and the phone with which he takes selfies are made in China.”
BJP is ever looking for making trivial issues into major ones to divert attention from its failures.AUnion Cabinet Minister escorts a dreaded terrorists to safely deposit him to his ppl then aren’t they giving him a VIP status deserving the honorific ‘ji’ ? That’s what RG did sarcastically.BJP understands it very well but is expert in twisting things in its favour to whip up emotions using such trivialities.Nothing new.
I think by now people must have recognized his intelligence quotient and the way he projects unsubstantiated facts without batting an eyebrow has become a joke in social circles . His sychophants needs to be vigilant .
His once right hand man, Digvijay Singh had said “Osama ji” in all seriousness. He was never admonished, or asked to withdraw that statement by Congress. Why would anyone believe that Raga thinks differently?
Bhakts and BJP don’t get irony or sarcasm. After all, THEY are used to adding “ji” after the name of that arch-terrorist who killed the father of the nation.
His minders have to be more vigilant.