Lucknow/New Delhi: Congress leader Priyanka Vadra on Wednesday accused the BJP of playing divisive politics and mounted a veiled attack on Narendra Modi over ‘snoopgate’.
The BJP swiftly hit back at Priyanka, saying that she was raking up a ‘non-issue’ in a bid to divert attention from serious issues. On Mrs Vadra’s remark that personal attacks in politics should be avoided, the BJP said “good advice, like charity, always begins at home.”
The Congress leader, campaigning for her mother Sonia Gandhi in Rae Bareli, said, “You have to decide whether you want a party that divides people or one that take everyone along. These elections are about unity and strengthening the country. The Congress always worked for the unity of society and the country.”
Without naming Narendra Modi, Priyanka said that one party talks of women’s empowerme-nt, but its leaders overhear conversations of women and try to intrude into their personal space.
“These parties keep saying they will wipe out corruption, but they have no plan to do so. We have already given you the power to weed out the corrupt,” she added.
Referring to personal attacks during the campaign, she said people should “rise above such politics” and concentrate on the issues.
Agreeing with Priyanka that personal attacks in politics should be avoided, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said, “Mrs Vadra is right that personal attacks pain people and should be avoided. I wish her political friends should also realise this... If they had realised it, her brother would not have made Narendra Modi’s so-called child marriage a public issue.
The Congress would not have made security to a lady in Ahmedabad into a ‘Snoopgate’ issue In a case where the courts have found there is not enough evidence to register an FIR against Mr Modi, the Congress would not have carried on a campaign for 12 long years based on falsehoods and fabrications.”
He then added, “Certainly, if the mother had listened to her daughter, she wouldn’t have called Mr Modi ‘Maut Ka Saudagar’.”
