NEW DELHI: As the Congress government in Puducherry fell after losing majority, senior BJP ministers and leaders took a dig at Rahul Gandhi saying it was due to his "Midas touch" that the party lost power in the Union Territory soon after his visit.
The Congress government in Puducherry fell on Monday after Chief Minister V Narayanasamy resigned ahead of the confidence vote in the Assembly with the coalition ministry reduced to a minority due to a spate of resignations of party MLAs and a DMK legislator recently.
Seizing on the development, several BJP leaders, state functionaries and ministers took a dig at the grand old party and Rahul Gandhi's leadership.
In a sarcastic tweet, Union minister Piyush Goyal said Rahul Gandhi's Puducherry visit to strengthen his party has "gone well".
"Congress loses power in Puducherry, reducing its presence to just 3 states, along with trivial existence in Maharashtra & Jharkhand. Few years from now, Congress will only exist in the books of history," he said.
Another Union minister, Harsh Vardhan, also took a dig at the former Congress chief, saying, "The marvel of Sh @RahulGandhi Ji has worked again!" "After losing out Puducherry, @INCIndia's presence has shrunk to just 3 states - Punjab, Rajasthan & Chhattisgarh, apart from being fringe players in Jharkhand & Maharashtra. Clean sweep on the cards it seems!" he tweeted.
Reacting to the development, BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya said Rahul Gandhi went to Puducherry and "true to his midas touch, Congress loses its government in the UT!".
After Congress lost its government in Puducherry, its presence has shrunk to just three states -- Punjab, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh and in Jharkhand and Maharashtra, it is as good as on the margin, Malviya said.
"It's just a matter of time before Rahul Gandhi achieves, which no other Gandhi has," he tweeted.
BJP MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar claimed that Rahul Gandhi is "effectively doing a job of dismantling" the Congress all over the country and now in Puducherry too.
"Congress is left in 3 states only and in rest of India survives as B/C-teams of and on the coattails of parties like Shiv Sena, DMK," he said in a tweet.
BJP general secretary C T Ravi said, "Rahul Gandhi goes to Puducherry, and the rest is history!!!" Several BJP functionaries at the state level also took jibes at the Congress over the fall of government in Puducherry.
BJP leader from Andhra Pradesh Rameshnaidu Nagothu said after Puducherry, BJP workers invite Rahul Gandhi for a visit to West Bengal and Assam.
Both Assam and West Bengal are poll bound.
BJP MLA from Maharashtra Siddhartha Shirole took a dig at Rahul Gandhi saying his leadership is helping millions of Indians "fulfil their dream of Congress Mukt Bharat".
"A feat that no other Gandhi family member could ever achieve," he added.
Khushbu Sundar, who recently switched to the BJP from the Congress, took a swipe at her old party, tweeting, "Karma comes back. You reap what you sow."
It was not just the BJP that took potshots at the Congress after it lost power in Puducherry.
Aam Aadmi Party, from its official Twitter handle, said, "Prove: Voting for Congress = Voting for BJP. Congress won MP but now BJP is ruling MP. Congress won Puducherry but now BJP is ruling Puducherry. Congress won Karnataka but now BJP is ruling Karnataka. Congress won Goa but now BJP is ruling Goa. Hence Proved: L.H.S.=R.H.S."
Suspended Congress leader Sanjay Jha also criticised his party and raised questions over its leadership.
"The fall of the Congress government even in small Puducherry tells you how the Grand Old Party has no passion. No hunger. No leadership. Yes, BJP's Operation Lotus is immoral. Unethical. But why have Congressmen become like easy-buy discounted toilet paper on Amazon?" he said.
Earlier in the day, Narayanasamy met Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and submitted the resignation of his cabinet, as the ruling side's strength was reduced to 11 as against the 14 of the opposition.
Hitting the campaign trail for assembly elections in Puducherry, likely in April, Gandhi on a visit to the UT last Wednesday had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not allowing the Narayanasamy government to function for the last nearly five years.