Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Hit Out At PM Modi Over 'Suicide' Joke, Call Him 'Insensitive'

The two Congress leaders cited the NCRB data, which shows that in 2021, more than 1.64 lakh Indians died by suicide.

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi have slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his recent "joke" on suicides while addressing a media conclave, labelling it "insensitive". Taking to Twitter, the former Wayanad Congress MP said, "The Prime Minister cracked a joke on suicides. How can anyone be so insensitive about suicides? Government statistics show that in 2021, more than 1.64 lakh Indians died by suicide. Every day, 450 people die by suicide in our country and this is a `joke` for the Prime Minister."

हज़ारों परिवार आत्महत्या के कारण अपने बच्चों को खोते हैं।

प्रधानमंत्री को उनका मज़ाक नहीं उड़ाना चाहिए!

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 27, 2023

Speaking at a conclave of media network on Wednesday, PM Modi shared a joke about how a professor, reading the suicide note left by his daughter, realised how she got her spellings wrong despite his efforts to get her to spell correctly. PM Modi cracked the "joke" after noting how the editor-in-chief of the media network had improved his Hindi speaking skills.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi also hit out at PM Modi over his "joke". Taking to Twitter, she posted, "Depression and suicide, especially among the youth IS NOT a laughing matter. According to NCRB data, 164033 Indians committed suicide in 2021. Of which a huge percentage were below the age of 30. This is a tragedy, not a joke. The Prime Minister and those laughing heartily at his joke ought to educate themselves better and create awareness rather than ridicule mental health issues in this insensitive, morbid manner."

PM Modi To Hold Mega Roadshows In Karnataka

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold two massive roadshows and six public meetings this weekend in poll-bound Karnataka, giving a major boost to the ruling BJP’s election campaign here.

The Prime Minister will visit Karnataka on April 29 and 30 and hold mega roadshows in Bengaluru on the first day. His roadshow will be of nearly 10 km in length in which three assembly constituencies of Bangalore North will be covered in nearly 45 minutes.

The PM will also address public meetings at various places in the state including in Kolar on April 30. His second public meeting will be organized at Channapatan in the afternoon, the third public meeting will be held in Belur at 5.00 pm. After this, a road show may be held in Mysore city, the sources said.

According to sources, the mega roadshow of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will start on April 29 at around 6 pm. "The roadshow will be held from Nice Road Junction to Sumanahalli Junction on Magadi Road in Bengaluru. After this roadshow, he may stay in the city that night. He will hold public meetings in Humnabad, Vijayapura and Kudachi before holding a roadshow in Bengaluru on April 29," sources said.

"On April 30, PM Modi will address public meetings organized in Kolar, Channapatna and Mysore districts. After this, on May 2, PM Narendra Modi will campaign in Chitradurga, Vijayanagar, Sindhanur and Kalaburagi. On May 3, he will campaign for BJP candidates in Moodbidire, Karwar and Kittur," they added.

On the lines of Gujarat`s Ahmedabad, the party has also decided to organize a mega roadshow of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly aiming to ensure victories of the party candidates.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had the biggest-ever roadshow in Ahmedabad during the Gujarat Assembly elections last year, which covered nearly 50 km spread across 19 assembly constituencies. The Bharatiya Janata Party`s challenge in Karnataka is to retain power, for which party president JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah have already started their election campaigns.

Notably, Karnataka is the only southern state where the BJP is in power. The BJP is seeking a second term in the state and has exuded confidence in returning to power with a full majority. Karnataka will go to polls on May 10 and the votes will be counted on May 13.