NEW DELHI: The BJP on Monday slammed the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, Mallikarjuna Kharge, for comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi with German dictator Adolf Hitler. The BJP also claimed that Congress leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram was mocking the sentiments of the people by charging that the saffron outfit was taking recourse to statues and temples after having promised jobs.
Speaking to reporters, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad lamented that Kharge had compared Modi with Hitler. "I am shocked. It was former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who used the language of Hitler during Emergency." Claiming that Kharge's tirade stemmed from desperation in the Congress, which was staring at defeat in elections, Prasad said that the Congress leader could not move a step without the permission of the Gandhi family.
Incidentally, Kharge had remarked in Mumbai on Sunday that Modi was trying to do what Hitler had done in Germany, besides stating that the Constitution was in danger.
Prasad also took a swipe at Chidambaram, who had tweeted that in the beginning the BJP had promised jobs and money in the bank accounts of citizens, but after four and a half years the party was back to statues and grand temple talk. Prasad said that Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who often visits temples, needed to clarify the statement of the party leaders. "The Congress needs to clear the party stand. Frequent temple visits aren't in sync with criticism of Ram temple (at Ayodhya) by the Congress leaders," added Prasad. The minister claimed that the Congress leaders were not paying attention to the sentiments of the people.
Prasad also took exception to criticism of the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, saying that the Congress had ignored the legacy of the unifier of the country. The minister noted that hundreds of schemes and public places were named after members of the Gandhi family.