A ‘united’ Opposition on Sunday, 5 May, hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks against former PM late Rajiv Gandhi, terming them ‘derogatory,’ ‘shameful’ and ‘unfortunate.’
Modi was addressing an election rally in Uttar Pradesh when he said, “Your (Rahul) father was termed ‘Mr Clean’ by his courtiers, but his life ended as ‘Bhrashtachari No 1’.”
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the prime minister’s statement, asserting that Rajiv Gandhi dedicated himself for the motherland. She labelled PM Modi’s comment “very unfortunate,” and questioned the “language and audacity” of the statement.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who was a long-term ally of the BJP, said that PM Modi’s comment lacked “decorum, decency and dignity” expected from his office. Former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti too condemned the prime minister’s statement.
Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav said “whatever political disagreements people might have, those martyred deserved the people's respect and their families deserves empathy.”
“Election or not, this is basic humanity,” Yadav wrote on Twitter. He also claimed that the prime minister's statement indicated the level to which people can stoop for the sake of clinging on to power.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray also condemned Prime minister Narendra Modi's statement, saying the country will not pardon him for the remarks.
In a tweet, Thackeray said, "Hatred, endless lying and absolutely no qualms in transgressing the decorum of public life are the three characteristics that mark the term of Narendra Modi."
‘Your Karma Awaits You’: Rahul Gandhi
Congress President Rahul Gandhi responded to Modi’s jibe, saying, “The battle is over. Your Karma awaits you. Projecting your inner beliefs about yourself onto my father won’t protect you.”
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also tweeted saying, “The Prime Minister, who is seeking votes in the name of martyrs, yesterday disrespected the martyrdom of a noble man. People in Amethi will give a befitting reply... Rajiv Gandhi gave his life for the people of Amethi. Yes Modi ji, this nation never forgives deception.”
Several Congress leaders have condemned Modi's remarks, accusing him of defaming the party with baseless allegations against them.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot claimed that Modi is a master at telling lies and he was trying to defame Congress leaders with baseless and irrelevant statements.
He asked whether it was okay for Modi to "insult" a former prime minister and accused him of lowering the dignity of his office.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram reacted to the prime minister’s jibe and said his remarks show the extent of his desperation and fear of defeat. Another Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, while Modi called BJP candidate from Bhopal and Malegaon blast accused Sadhvi Pragya “innocent,” he called Rajiv Gandhi who has been given a clean chit “bhrashtachari No.1.”
Everything PM Said About Rajiv Gandhi Was True: Javadekar
At a press conference, Union minister and senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar cited the former prime minister's remarks about the 1984 riots to accuse him of "supporting" the massacre of Sikhs.
He also claimed that he was surprised at the reactions of Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over the prime minister's remarks.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley took a dig at Rahul Gandhi and questioned why he was so disturbed over the integrity of Rajiv Gandhi. “Why did Ottavio Quattrocchi get kickbacks in Bofors? Who was the ‘Q’ connection? No reply has come,” he said.
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