Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi at the party meeting on Sunday. (Twitter/@INCIndia)
The BJP on Sunday took a dig at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, saying that it was actually the “Congress non-working committee” meeting held under its “non-performing president”.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said at a press meet, “Today, the CWC, rather Congress non-working committee, met under non-performing president Rahul Gandhi. After losing the no-confidence motion badly on the floor of Parliament, this was a meeting chaired by Rahul Gandhi, which was previously being chaired by Sonia Gandhi for 20 long years,” he said.
Patra said the Opposition party had taken a “negative decision” during the meeting, “that it does not want to win, but to stop Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP and the growth of the nation”.
“The Congress has decided to play the role of a suicide bomber and hinder the growth of nation,” Patra said, adding that the country will not accept “negative politics”.
He said UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi said at the CWC meeting that the reverse countdown of the Modi government has begun. “You had been running this country in reverse gear for all those years and today you talk of reverse countdown. Sonia ji, reverse countdown of the politics of appeasement, casteism and dynasty had started in 2014 and it will continue in 2019,” Patra said.
Patra also said that when Prime Minister Modi was backing the growth and development of India, Sonia Gandhi’s only aim was to back Rahul Gandhi as Prime Minister.
Targeting Sonia for her statement accusing the Prime Minister of indulging in rhetoric, the BJP spokesperson said the “politics of hug and wink was the biggest rhetoric played on the floor of the Parliament a couple of days ago”.
Patra also took on former PM Manmohan Singh who criticised the government over “a culture of constant self praise and jumlas”, saying those who had reduced the post of the Prime Minister to a “jumla” should stay silent on this.
Targeting senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, who was present at the meeting, Patra said, “Many of those occupying high positions (in Congress) were either out on bail or almost on installments of protection from court.”
He said Chidambaram stated during the meeting that at best the Congress could contest 150 seats. “If a party is looking at contesting only 150 seats, how can it dream of getting the prime minister’s post?” Patra asked.
He said the Congress has “almost accepted that they have become a new regional party and have lost their national character”.
Patra also hit out at Rahul for not taking any action against Congress leader Shashi Tharoor for his “Hindu Pakistan” remark.
BJP’s national media in-charge Anil Baluni took to Twitter to slam the Congress. “Heard that desperate and disappointed Congress at its meeting today has set a target of contesting 150 Lok Sabha seats, while its president Rahul Gandhi is dreaming to become prime minister,” Baluni tweeted.
“Rahulji, you forcibly hugged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament but people will not hug you in the 2019 general election. You should prepare yourself for bringing a no-confidence motion in 2024,” he added.