Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday mocked the Congress and its vice-president Rahul Gandhi for the party’s defeat in four state Assembly polls, saying “you can’t fight an election with a ‘Gandhian’ campaign”.
As the day progressed and it became clear the Congress has been routed, Omar tweeted, without naming Rahul: “And perhaps last lesson for today #2014 a divisive message won’t work but you can’t fight an election with a Gandhian campaign either.”
Coming to his defence, Omar’s uncle and senior ruling National Conference leader Mustafa Kamal tweeted. “However, the Rahul factor didn’t click. His charisma did not work and he didn’t have any positive impact on the voters,” Kamal said. He claimed that even Union Minister Jairam Ramesh had admitted that Rahul factor didn’t work.
In a tweet rapping the Congress for not taking Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP seriously, Omar said: “Never underestimate the underdog/newcomer with a fresh face and message.”
“Congratulations to Arvind Kejriwal for stunning political debut. Now fight the good fight & live up to the promise the people of Delhi have seen,” he further tweeted. Referring to the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, he wrote: “There is no wave but the effect on their (BJP) cadre is obvious”. “Can’t afford to underestimate this going ahead,” he went on.