LUCKNOW: As Lok Sabha elections are inching closer, political discourse and statements are getting more and more personal and incendiary in nature, the latest being a video featuring Union Minister Mahesh Sharma seen targeting Congress leadership using language which cannot be music to any ear.
Sharma was addressing a political meeting in Bulandshahr's Sikandrabad held on Saturday. The Union Culture and Tourism minister threw cultural values to smithereens while referring to Congress president Rahul Gandhi as "Pappu" and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as "Pappu ki Pappi" during a poll campaign, drawing widespread condemnation from the opposition party.
In the purported video doing rounds on social media platforms, the minister is seen sneering at Gandhi family, BSP supremo Mayawati, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and SP president Akhilesh Yadav.
"Pappu kehta hai main prime minister banunga' Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav, Pappu.. aur ab 'Pappu ki Pappi' bhi aa gayi hai. Wo Priyanka kya pehle hamare desh ki beti nahi thi kya, Congress ki beti nahi thi kya, aage nahi rahegi kya? kya naya leke aayi hai? (Pappu says he wants to become prime minister. Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav, Pappu... and now 'Pappu's Pappi' has also arrived. Wasn't Priyanka already a daughter of this nation, a daughter of the Congress. And would she not remain so in future? What new has she brought in?)," he told a crowd of his supporters during his speech delivered on March 16.
Similarly, regional politicians like West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee or her Karnataka counterpart HD Kumaraswamy would make no difference to the local people even if they were "to come dance or sing" here, Sharma said.
"If Mamata Banerjee dances Kathak (a classical dance form) here, Kumaraswamy, the CM of Karnataka, comes and sings a song here, who is going to listen to them? They have just 72 seats (in Lok Sabha). How will they get 200 more (for a simple majority)?" the minister said.
While Congress National Secretary and UP West co-in charge Dheeraj Gurjar slammed the minister saying what he thought so did he speak.
"Being on such a responsible post, Sharma ji has made such a remark against a woman. It is condemnable,-" Gurjar said.
However, the minister neither confirmed nor denied his statement. He tried to explain himself by claiming that his culture did not allow him to launch personal attacks on anyone but pushed a subtle blame to media saying: "I don't deny the claim. There are situations and political atmosphere. Then, media too twists facts."
Calling it an insult inflicted on country's women, senior Congress leader Pramod Tiwari attributed it to BJP's desperation having sensed its defeat in polls.