Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily on Tuesday, 19 December, indicated that the controversial statements by his colleagues Mani Shankar Aiyar and Kapil Sibal may have undone the gains made by party president Rahul Gandhi during campaigning in the Gujarat elections.
On 7 December, Aiyar called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “neech kism ka insaan (a lowly person)” after which he was suspended by the party.
“...our people like Mani Shankar Aiyar should not have raised those issues against him (PM),” Moily told PTI.
Asked if Aiyar’s comments had an adverse electoral impact for the Congress, Moily said:
May be. Narendra Modi utilised that statement to hit at the Congress and also our leader. We should be very careful.
He also termed as “unnecessary” Sibal’s statement asking the Supreme Court to defer hearing in the Ram Janmabhoomi case till after the 2019 general elections.
He (Sibal) should not have made such statements. He was not authorised to make such statements on behalf of the party. It was not the party view, even then Narendra Modi utilised the opportunity.M Veerappa Moily, Congress leader
“Some of our leaders should also restrain themselves, particularly on the eve of the elections and during the elections. One should be very careful. Wisdom should prevail upon them, that means to say that our leaders should also have political sense to deal with the subject,” he told PTI.
He alleged that Modi raised issues to emotionally blackmail the electorate in Gujarat.
...like ‘supari’ was given to kill him (Modi) when he (Aiyar) visited Pakistan. He (Modi) makes that statement after a lapse of one year. Credibility is the question. But certain percentage of votes must have been swayed because of this.M Veerappa Moily
“...then again, Pakistan is working against him (Modi) in Gujarat election. Such issues...the Election Commission should take serious note when there is absolutely no proof. It's absolutely again an election 'jumla', and an election jumla should not win an election for any political party; it's negation of democratic principles,” Moily said.
Moily also said the Congress' performance in Gujarat, particularly under Gandhi's leadership, was “par excellence.”
“All those light talks, particularly on Rahul Gandhi, have stopped now. He is marching forward,” Moily said, and claimed that his party lost in 16 Assembly seats in the western state by barely 200 votes.
He (Rahul Gandhi) could also consolidate all social forces along with the Congress. It’s a big success. Rahul Gandhi has emerged as an alternative to Narendra Modi for the 2019 (general) elections.M Veerappa Moily
(With inputs from PTI)
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