BJP national president Amit Shah said such “hypocrites” could not run a government free of corruption. (File)
Terming Rahul Gandhi a “hypocrite”, BJP chief Amit Shah on Monday said the Congress president who met Lalu Prasad Yadav in the hospital was the same person who had torn an ordinance brought by UPA in 2013 to save the RJD supremo from the fodder scam. Accusing Gandhi of maintaining double standards, Shah said the Congress was fretting over the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and Gandhi’s meeting with Lalu at AIIMS was a signal of the party’s anxiousness.
Rahul Gandhi tore off the ordinance brought by Manmohan Singh to save Lalu Yadav when in power but now goes to meet the convicted leader in fodder scam to take his support for 2019 elections. This dual face of Rahul Gandhi is exposed. pic.twitter.com/0tMYC4w5gO
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) April 30, 2018
“As 2019 is approaching, it seems Congress can’t win without Lalu ji’s support, and today he (Rahul Gandhi) met Lalu ji (in AIIMS),” the BJP chief said while addressing a rally at Karnataka’s Kolar region. Alleging that such “hypocrites” could not run a government free of corruption, Shah said, “During UPA Rahul Gandhi had torn the ordinance which could save now fodder scam convict Lalu Yadav. The same Rahul Gandhi has met and hugged Lalu ji today. Such hypocrites cannot run a non-corrupt government in a state.”
One may recall that on September 27, 2013, Rahul Gandhi, the then party vice-president, held a sudden press conference and tore an ordinance that the Manmohan Singh government had brought to revoke the Supreme Court order that barred convicted criminals from contesting elections. It was believed the government had enacted the ordinance to shield RJD supremo and ally Lalu Prasad Yadav from being convicted in the fodder scam. The government eventually withdrew the ordinance.
#WATCH: Lalu Prasad Yadav argues with a Policeman at New Delhi Railway Station, says, ‘This Policemen is asking me to step back, saying that the SP said so, is the SP my boss?’ Lalu Prasad Yadav is leaving for Ranchi after being discharged from Delhi’s AIIMS. pic.twitter.com/mscGhHWqfC
— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2018
Earlier in the day, Gandhi met Prasad at AIIMS, where the former Bihar chief minister was undergoing treatment. Prasad, who is serving a jail term in multiple fodder scam cases, was admitted to AIIMS last month and was discharged later in the day after the hospital said his condition had improved. However, the RJD alleged that the party chief was still suffering from various ailments and called the move to discharge him a conspiracy to “murder” Prasad by “forcing him out” of the hospital.