Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Thursday praised Congress president Rahul Gandhi for being dignified while attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speeches and said said he could pose a challenge to the BJP in 2019. The BJP should have welcomed Gandhi’s declaration of his prime ministerial ambitions, the NDA ally said, adding that it was against democracy to make fun of Gandhi over his remark. The BJP should have challenged him to defeat it in the 2019 general polls.
Gandhi had said two days ago that he was ready to occupy the prime minister’s post if his party wins the most seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, making known his ambition for the top executive post. Reacting to the comment, Modi wondered whether the country would ever accept such an “immature and naamdar (famous)” leader for the post.
Rebuking the BJP for criticising Gandhi’s comments, the Sena said people would decide if the Congress president would become the prime minister in 2019 or face defeat. “However, saying that he (Gandhi) is eager to become the prime minister or making fun of him is against democracy,” it said in an editorial in the party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.