New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not holding any press conference in the last four years and said that he would be meeting the media more often.
Taking to Twitter, Rahul said he enjoyed meeting the regional and national media at his ‘packed’ press conference in Bengaluru and apologised to those who could not get a chance to ask a question due to lack of time. However, the Congress chief said that unlike the PM, he would be doing many more press conferences in future. He also posted a number of pictures of his media interaction on Twitter.
Enjoyed meeting the regional & national press today in Bengaluru. We had a packed house! I’m sorry not everyone got a chance to ask a question due to the paucity of time.
But, unlike our PM who hasn’t had a press conference in 4 yrs., I will be doing many more of these! pic.twitter.com/tzNVHVLXdu
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 10, 2018
On the other hand, Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala also took to Twitter to ask whether PM Modi would answer questions on corruption. “Will you show courage to answer the questions on corruption that people of Karnataka are asking of you?” he asked. Surjewala tagged a video showing BJP leaders who have been allegedly embroiled in corruption cases.
PM Modi sees a threat in me, says Rahul Gandhi
Meanwhile, Rahul at the press conference said on Thursday that PM Modi saw a “threat” in him. He also hit out at the Prime Minister for raking up the issue of UPA chairperson and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin, saying “my mother is Italian” but she was “more Indian” than many Indians.
“This election is not about Rahul. I have now learnt to deal with the Prime Minister. When he can’t respond, he distracts,” Rahul told reporters responding to questions about PM Modi’s attacks on him over his prime ministerial ambition.
On the issue of Sonia’s foreign origin, he said,”My mother is an Italian. She has lived the larger part of her life in India. She has sacrificed her life for the country, she has suffered for the country.”
The issue of Sonia’s foreign origin was raked up by PM Modi at an election rally in Karnataka recently where he had dared Rahul to speak for 15 minutes about the achievements of the Karnataka government in any language, including his “mother’s mother tongue”.
Also, the Congress chief hit back hard at the BJP for mocking him over visiting temples and calling him an “election Hindu” who remembered Hindu shrines only during polls. Maintaining that the BJP feels “uncomfortable” about his temple visits, Rahul said, “I don’t think they understand the term Hindu, because the term Hindu is a perspective, it is something that is in the heart, it is imbibed. There are different beliefs… As a leader of a political party, it is my job to stand with them in their beliefs.”
On the purchase of Rafale fighter jets, he said, “It is a very good deal for the PM and his businessman friend, who has a Rs 45,000 crore debt, who has never built an aircraft in his life.” PM Modi paid Rs 1500 crore per aircraft that the UPA government had worked out at Rs 700 crore, Rahul said. as per PTI.
Further, attacking the Modi government, Rahul claimed that India’s foreign policy was “decimated” as the PM looked at it as an individual exercise. “He is under the impression that he can go on and have a personal conversation with the President of China and everything will magically happen,” he said.
The campaign for the Karnataka Assembly elections ended on Thursday. Polling will be held on May 12 and results will be declared on May 15.
(With PTI inputs)
Source: Zee News