Bengaluru: Hitting out at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for his “suit boot” remarks against Narendra Modi, Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday termed it as “childish and immature” and accused him of taking the name of Prime Minister to remain in the news.
Mr Naidu also sought to turn the tables against Mr Gandhi, saying Rahul’s grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru and father Rajiv Gandhi too had used the “suit boot” attire.
“....now he (Rahul) is also talking about suit boot (suit boot ki sarkar), forgetting his grandfather used to wear suit boot, forgetting his father used to wear suit boot. Are you criticising your grandfather and father? Are you ridiculing them?” the minister asked.
Attacking the Congress leader for his suit-boot jibe made at an election rally in Bihar, Mr Naidu said: “Please think before you speak, there should be some maturity in what you speak. Don’t be childish and immature. Making such cheap comments against the Prime Minister of the country- that too on a personal dress....”
Pointing out that the suit presented to the Prime Minister was auctioned and the money was used for public purpose, he said “....I don’t know who is writing his script, who is writing the speech, but they are misleading him.”
Launching the Congress campaign in Assembly poll-bound Bihar, Rahul Gandhi had on Saturday raked up the “suit boot ki sarkar” jibe to target the Modi government, warning people that they would lose their land and livelihood if NDA came to power in the state.
Painting Modi and BJP-led NDA as a ‘club of rich’, he had said “While the Mahatma shed his suit and donned a dhoti as he led the poor farmers, Mr Modi who claimed to have started as a chaiwala (tea seller) started wearing ' 15 lakh suit after becoming Prime Minister.”
Union minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar slammed Mr Gandhi saying, “Rahul Gandhi has become an expert in talk with light substance (halki baat).” He also asked if farmers were respected under the “vadra model of development.”
