Hitting out at Congress President Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on BJP veteran LK Advani, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Saturday said Advani ji is our father figure. Taking to Twitter, the EAM said, "Rahulji - Advani ji is our father figure. Your words have hurt us deeply. Please try to maintain some decorum of your speech."
Rahul Gandhi sparked a row on Friday as he accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of humiliating BJP veteran LK Advani, saying disrespecting one's guru is not Hindu culture.
Gandhi's swipe at Modi over the treatment meted out to Advani follows the BJP patriarch's blog published Thursday where he said the BJP never considered its political adversaries as anti-national.
In an objectionable remark, Gandhi said, "BJP talks of Hinduism. In Hinduism, guru is supreme. It talks of guru-shishya tradition. Who is Modi's guru? Advani. Modi just kicked Advani out."
The remark was a veiled reference to Advani not getting Lok Sabha poll ticket from Gandhinagar, from where BJP has fielded party president Amit Shah instead.
"2019 (polls) is a battle of ideologies and the Congress ideology of brotherhood, love and harmony will win against Modi's hate, anger and divisive ideology," Rahul Gandhi said.
The Congress chief also said he was not bothered by the criticism of the Nyay minimum income scheme promised in the party manifesto.
The Congress was committed to give Rs 72,000 per year to the poor in the country and it will be "a surgical strike" on poverty, he said. Gandhi said he was inspired by the prime minister's "false" promise of depositing Rs 15 lakh in every Indian's bank account.
"I felt direct bank transfer was a good idea. Only the Rs 15 lakh promise was false and I am giving you a true number, Rs 72,000 per year will be deposited in the bank accounts of poor people," he said.
"Rs 15 lakh in bank account could not have happened since the economy would collapse. But Nyay can be implemented," he said.
If bank loans of a few rich can be waived, loans of farmers and the needy can also be waived, Gandhi said.
Targeting industrialist Anil Ambani over the Rafale offset contract, he said, "A person who is not able to make even paper planes bagged the biggest defence contract with Rs 30,000 crore going directly to him. The entire budget of MNERGA scheme was given to a single person."
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