Priyanka Gandhi today contemptuously dismissed reported comments by Narendra Modi that she is like a daughter to him and said she did not “appreciate” this comparison with her father.
“I am Rajiv Gandhi’s daughter,” was Priyanka’s terse reply, as Modi’s comments that he considers her as his daughter dominated her media interaction at several places during her whirlwind poll campaign in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.
Priyanka reacted sharply when she was asked by reporters to comment on purported remarks by the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate. Her brother Rahul is the Congress candidate from Amethi.
“Main Rajiv Gandhi ki beti hoon'( I am Rajiv Gandhi’s daughter),” she said.
At another place during the campaign, Priyanka was again asked about Modi’s comments.
“My father died for this country more than 20 years ago. I love him more than I love anybody else in my life. And I don’t appreciate this comparison at all,” she said.
“My father is a martyr. He sacrificed for the country. And in my heart, he can never be compared to any other person,” she added.
Priyanka replied in the negative when asked whether she was offended and angry over the Gujarat Chief Minister’s comments about her.
“No, it doesn’t really anger me….but enough is enough,” she said. “I don’t get offended by anything anyone says.”
Asked why Modi is saying such things, the Congress President Sonia Gandh’s daughter shot back, “He would know better than I do”.
Priyanka’s responses came even as senior Congress leader and Finance Minister P Chidambaram said he was not sure if she will consider Modi as a “father figure”.
“I am not sure if Priyanka Gandhi will be happy to consider Narendra Modi as a father figure,” he said.
“I am happy that Narendra Modi considers Priyanka Gandhi as his daughter but I am not sure if she will be happy to consider Modi as a father figure,” he added.
Chidambaram was reacting to questions at a news conference in Delhi over Modi’s purported comments in an interview to Doordarshan that he considers Priyanka like his daughter.
Some portions of the interview, including Modi’s “daughter” comments on Priyanka, were reportedly not telecast.
Chidamabaram said he was not aware of what was said and what was edited.
He said his own recent interview to a television channel underwent some editing as “that is prerogative of the editor” of the news channel in terms of the schedule and size of the programme.
Modi’s interview was telecast on April 27, reportedly.PTI