NEW DELHI: BJP on Wednesday accused Rahul Gandhi of hatching conspiracies against India during his trips abroad and confronted him over his remark asking "why do so many dictators have names that begin with M", which was seen as a veiled reference to PM Narendra Modi.
"The names of former PM Manmohan Singh, Mahatma Gandhi and Motilal Nehru also begin with the same letter," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said at a press conference, where he also asked the Congress leader to refrain from singing in the chorus of pop star Rihanna or former porn star Mia Khalifa, who had tweeted in support of the farmers' agitations in India.
Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi tweeted, "You must be upset about Motilal and Italy (Mussolini). It is obvious since you are the leader of a party whose own members are demanding internal elections to ward off dictators".
Rahul had tweeted as to why so many dictators had names that began with 'M'. He, however, did not elaborate on the context behind the tweet. "Why do so many dictators have names that begin with M? Marcos, Mussolini, Milosevic, Mubarak, Mobutu, Musharraf, Micombero," he said.
At the press conference, Patra alleged that Rahul was conspiring with anti-India elements during his trips abroad. "He goes abroad to hatch conspiracy with anti-India elements as to how to defame India...," he claimed. He said be it Rihanna or Mia Khalifa or others who had tweeted, Rahul met these people for anti-India propaganda.