The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday demanded an apology from Priyanka Gandhi for accusing Narendra Modi of indulging in ‘neech rajneeti’ (low-level politics).
Without naming Priyanka directly, senior leader Arun Jaitely said that for someone who comes from the backward castes, the word ‘neech’ may have different connotations.
“Considering the social fabric of the country, nobody uses the word neech against anyone as this word has some different connotations as well. I would like that the person who has used the word should apologise to the nation and especially when it is used again a person coming from the backward castes,” Jaitley said.
Hitting out at the Gandhi family, Jaitely asked the electorate in the last two phases to defeat the ego of the family through their vote.
“The use of the word (neech) is one more indication of the ego – that will be hurt by the people of the country,” he said.
On party’s prospects in the key battlegrounds of Amethi and Varanasi, Jiatley said, “I have no doubt that we will register a historic victory, I am also confident that BJP candidate Smriti Irani will win in Amethi and create history. The struggle of Amethi is against backwardness and it is against the family that is the reason for the backwardness.”
“The leadership of Congress will have to self introspection in Varansai too. People of Varanasi will have do decide – on one side is a popular leader Narendra Modi, who is set to become the prime minister, and on the other side is the Congress candidate, who is getting support from people like Mukhtar Ansari. People of Varanasi will have to decide they want which these two candidates,” he added.
On reports that the Left may join hands with Mamata Banerjee too keep Modi out of power, Jaitley said, “Modi ji cannot be stopped on basis of numbers, people like Bardhan saab and others of the third front are dreaming that they will stop Modi on basis of numbers, I don’t think they have the numbers…it is a single horse race as the distance between the first and second is very wide now.”
