No need for anyone to take Narendra Modi`s statement seriously: Congress

Zee Media Bureau/Hemant Abhishek

New Delhi: Congress on Saturday tried to counter Narendra Modi’s fire with fire, with Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid saying that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime-minsiterial candidate for 2014 general elections was heading a ‘desperate party.’ Talking to scribes after Modi’s Kanpur rally where he tore into what he said was Congress’ ‘divisive politics’ and ‘lackadaisical foreign policy’, Minister of External Affairs, Salman Khurshid said, “The irresponsible politics that he is espousing in his speeches, does not deserve a serious reply.” Countering Modi’s brickbats at UPA government’s foreign policy, Khurshid said, “It would be unfortunate if our foreign policy is influenced by this low level of jingoism.” Khurshid said Modi was going overboard with his jingoistic speeches and the BJP leader was the ‘head of a desperate party.’ Taking a dig at Modi, he said, “He raises his finger and says `Yes We Can` and then says US President (Barack) Obama borrowed this from him, get a better speech writer.” “Har rally mein hamaara naam lekar, maatam manaate hain (He curses us in every rally),” commented Congress MP, Renuka Chowdhury. Quoting the recent stats released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) where Modi’s state Gujarat rates low on Human Development Indices (HDI), Chowdhury said, “What is he telling us about starvation. He should look in his backyard (Gujarat) to see starvation.” “No one goes to Gujarat, there is no safety there. This is why he does not get any visa,” said Renuka. Union Minister EM Sudarsana Natchiappan too took on Modi’s tirade saying there was no need to take him seriously. "(Modi) is not sold even in Gujarat. The number of votes (for Modi) has declined in Gujarat. There is no need for anyone to take Modi`s statement seriously," he told reporters while replying to a query. "These are attempts Modi does to sell himself. We only have to watch it, don`t take him seriously," Natchiappan said.