Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent verbal assault on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s electoral choices has heightened the political fervor, amplifying tensions in Bardhaman-Durgapur, West Bengal, and beyond.
In a charged public rally, PM Modi pulled no punches in critiquing Gandhi’s decision to contest from Raebareli, a constituency synonymous with the Gandhi family’s political legacy. Modi’s remarks, laden with rhetorical punches and strategic insinuations, underscored the escalating rivalry between the BJP and the Congress.
Recalling his earlier predictions made in Parliament, Modi reiterated his forecast that the Congress’s “biggest leader” would shun electoral contests and seek refuge in more comfortable political arenas. “She ran away to Rajasthan and came to the Rajya Sabha,” Modi quipped, taking a veiled swipe at a prominent Congress figure’s transition to the upper house.
Modi’s rhetoric took a sharper turn as he predicted Rahul Gandhi’s electoral fortunes, mockingly referring to him as ‘Shehzada’. With a confident air, Modi reiterated his earlier assertion of Gandhi’s impending defeat in Wayanad and suggested Gandhi’s strategic recalibration in search of a more favorable electoral battleground.
The Prime Minister’s verbal onslaught didn’t spare Gandhi’s choice to contest from Raebareli, a move perceived by many as a calculated retreat from the fierce electoral battleground of Amethi. “He is so fearful of Amethi that he is scurrying towards Raebareli,” Modi remarked, capitalizing on the symbolic resonance of both constituencies in Indian political lore.
Concluding his diatribe with a rhetorical flourish, Modi appropriated Congress’s own slogan, ‘Daro Mat’ (Don’t be afraid), and repurposed it to suit his narrative. “Today, I also ask them, ‘Daro Mat, Bhago Mat’ (Don’t be afraid, don’t flee),” Modi proclaimed, eliciting enthusiastic applause from the assembled audience.
Modi’s blistering attack has injected fresh energy into the political arena as the country hurtles towards impending elections. With both parties vying for supremacy, the rhetorical volleys exchanged between leaders like Modi and Gandhi are poised to shape the contours of the electoral landscape and influence voter sentiment in the crucial days ahead. As the political temperature continues to rise, the nation braces itself for a gripping spectacle that will determine the course of its democratic journey.
