New Delhi, Jan 26 (IANS) BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Monday backed Jan Shakti Janata Dal chief Tej Pratap Yadav for his remarks about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, describing him as a “cowardly leader” and stating that Rahul Gandhi is not a serious leader.
This followed Tej Pratap Yadav’s criticism of Rahul Gandhi, in which he called him a “cowardly leader” and agreed with statements by former Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad. Tej Pratap Yadav questioned Rahul Gandhi’s political conduct and commitment, particularly referring to his earlier statement about visiting Ayodhya.
“Rahul Gandhi is a cowardly leader. He said he would go to Ayodhya to have darshan of Lord Ram, but he has not gone yet. Why didn’t Rahul Gandhi go? He should have gone, shouldn’t he?” Tej Pratap Yadav said while responding to questions on Shakeel Ahmad’s remarks.
Supporting Yadav’s comments, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla told IANS, “Rahul Gandhi is not a serious leader, and that is why even allies have openly questioned his leadership. The Samajwadi Party recently said, ‘Remove Rahul, bring Akhilesh, save the INDI Alliance.’ When Rahul Gandhi lost elections in Bihar, the Trinamool Congress made similar remarks. When Rahul Gandhi spoke about the Election Commission of India and EVMs, leaders ranging from Omar Abdullah to Supriya Sule distanced themselves from his statements.”
He further claimed that Rahul Gandhi lacks the confidence of his own party members.
“They do not have a mandate, as they have lost 95 elections. Even from Priyanka Gandhi’s camp, leaders such as Imran Masood, Shashi Tharoor and Digvijaya Singh have shown a lack of confidence in him. Tej Pratap Yadav has also understood this reality, and you will not find a single person in the country who truly believes Rahul Gandhi can be considered a strong leader,” Poonawalla told IANS.
Former Union Minister Shakeel Ahmad on Saturday alleged that there is “no internal democracy” in the Congress and claimed that Rahul Gandhi wants to “throw out” the senior leadership of the party. Ahmad said Rahul Gandhi is uncomfortable working with experienced and popular leaders.
“There are many leaders in the Congress who have been politicians long before Rahul Gandhi entered politics. The day Rahul Gandhi won his first election, I had already won my fifth. I believe he is uncomfortable sitting with people who do not see him as their boss. I have felt this for a long time, but while staying in the party, one does not usually say these things,” Ahmad said.
This is not the first time opposition leaders have questioned Rahul Gandhi’s leadership. Several leaders from the Samajwadi Party and the Trinamool Congress have previously suggested that Akhilesh Yadav or Mamata Banerjee should lead the INDIA bloc.
Recently, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also expressed disagreement with Rahul Gandhi after the latter skipped a key party meeting. Additionally, Congress MP Imran Masood had earlier said he saw Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as a potential prime ministerial candidate, though he later retracted the statement and reaffirmed that Rahul Gandhi is the party’s leader.
–IANS
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