Congress Has Managed To Dismantle The Idea Of Narendra Modi: Rahul Gandhi

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday claimed that the Congress has managed to dismantle the idea of Narendra Modi in the past five years.

 Addressing a press conference, almost at the same time that Prime Minister Narendra Modi held his first press conference, the Congress president also mocked the prime minister for holding his first press conference just days before polling ends.

 “The Prime Minister is holding a press conference just 4-5 days before the election ends. This is unprecedented. The Prime Minister of India is holding a press conference for the first time,” he said, mockingly.

He also tweeted later, mocking the Prime Minister.

BJP chief Amit Shah and Modi held a press conference at the party headquarters at the same time when Gandhi addressed the media at the Congress head office.

"Why did the prime minister not accept my challenge for a debate on the Rafale issue," asked Gandhi.

He said Congress has managed to “dismantle the idea of Narendra Modi in the past five years”.

Rahul Gandhi also said that he had heard that there was such a big crowd of journalists gathered for the Modi press conference that all the doors of the Bharatiya Janata Party office here had to be shut, leaving many of the media stranded outside the venue.

Gandhi said that regional parties such as the SP, BSP and TDP will not support the BJP and indicated that opposition parties will get together to form the next government.

The Congress President said he will not pre-judge the verdict of the people. He also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of having lost the opportunity given by the people to take the country forward.

Refusing to spell out the opposition's strategy ahead of the Lok Sabha poll results on May 23, Gandhi said that unlike Modi, the Congress will take the experience of veterans such as UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh.

He was also asked what role Sonia Gandhi will play in bringing together opposition parties together to form the next government.

"I am not gong to pre-judge what the people of India will decide. The mood and vision of the people will come out on May 23," he said.

Gandhi said his party's strategy was to "systematically close down every door to stop Narendra Modi from escaping."

"We closed 90 per cent of the doors (for Modi), he closed 10 per cent for himself by abusing opponents," the Congress chief said.

"Why did the prime minister not accept my challenge for a debate on the Rafale issue," asked Gandhi.

Referring to the “soft” questions posed by the media to the Prime Minister, Gandhi said: “The media asks me tough questions, for eg. where the money for NYAY scheme will come from; but asks PM Modi if he likes to eat mangoes, how he likes to wear his kurtas. I urge the media to also be a bit fair.”

Answering a question, he asserted that the philosophy of Shah and Modi cannot be the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi.

Gandhi also said that the Election Commission's role in these polls has been "biased" and it has issued orders keeping in mind Modi's schedule.

“The role of EC has been biased in this elections, Modi Ji can say whatever he wants to say while we're stopped from saying the same thing.Seems that the elections schedule was made for Modi Ji's campaigning. BJP and Narendra Modi have lots of money while we have truth.”

He said the Congress and BSP-SP are "ideologically on same page with aim to dislodge Narendra Modi".

On Modi, he said: “I would have liked to see him moving the country forward. He lost sight of the real picture, people chose him to give the country a vision, but he chose to abuse our vision.”

(With agency inputs)