Claiming that Narendra Modi’s campaign in Amethi would not pose any challenge to Rahul Gandhi, Union Minister Salman Khurshid on Sunday said the BJP prime ministerial nominee will have no impact in the constituency of the Congress Vice President.
“Modi’s campaign in Amethi would have absolutely no impact,” the Union External Affairs Minister said at a press conference here.
“Modi is not a challenge for Rahul Gandhi rather BJP and Modi feel that Rahul is a challenge for them,” the senior Congress leader said.
Modi is scheduled to campaign for party’s Amethi candidate Smriti Irani on May 5.
On being questioned about AAP candidate from Hamirpur constituency Kamal Kant Batra, mother of Kargil martyr Vikram Batra, asking BJP why it was not withdrawing its candidate against her if the party respected Vikram’s sacrifice, Khurshid said, “I personally feel that if such a brave martyr’s mother had asked for withdrawing of candidate by them (BJP), they must withdraw the candidate contesting against her.”
However, when asked if Congress too would withdraw its candidate against Batra, Khurshid said it was a decision that would be taken by the party’s top leadership and that he was just a small soldier of his party.
On a question about the snoopgate, Khurshid said, “Why don’t they say that snooping is bad?.
Khurshid later compared a poster of Modi in the temple town with that of ‘Gabbar’, a famous dacoit character of Hindi film ‘Sholay’.
The minister said he saw one of the posters of Modi stating “Modi Aane Wala Hai”.
“The poster gave an impression that the ‘Gabbar’ of Sholay is going to come here,” he said.
“Modi said in Varanasi that Mother Ganga had called him here, but he did not go to take a holy dip in the river, he did not attend the traditional ‘Ganga aarti’ at the ghats and did not even offer prayers,” he said.
“Modi did not take a dip in the Ganga because he feared that?Mother Ganga might refuse to forgive him for the sins he had committed in Gujarat,” he added.
He alleged that Modi was contesting from Varanasi to polarise votes.
“He wants to repeat his divide-and-rule policy of Gujarat in Varanasi too.” Khurshid said.
On a question over violence in Assam that has claimed 32 lives, Khurshid said, “first and foremost is to ensure the safety of all the people in Assam rather than indulge in blamegames. The violence must be stopped at any cost.”
Hitting out at AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, Khurshid said the former Delhi Chief Minister had came to Varanasi to divide the secular votes and if he really had to give a challenge to Narendra Modi, he should have contested from Vadodara.
Over the question of Third Front, Khurshid said it was just an “illusion” which never existed in the past nor did it have any scope in the future.PTI