India
The Congress President had left for Italy on Friday
Updated : Mar 03, 2018, 05:48 PM IST
The Congress on Saturday hit out at the BJP for its attack on party president Rahul Gandhi, who had left for Italy to spend time with his grandmother.
During the press conference, BJP President Amit Shah joked that Rahul Gandhi may have gone to Italy to cast his vote for the upcoming elections in the European nation.
Earlier, union minister Giriraj Singh, "Rahul Gandhi is a master election strategist… he knows when to run away from India now," he tweeted.
The Congress president had left for Italy on March 1 to be with his 93-year-old grandmother.
#WATCH: Union Minister Giriraj Singh speaks on Congress President Rahul Gandhi, says 'Koi neta apne karykartaon ko chhodd ke aise samay mein nahi bhaagta. Non-serious adhyaksh hain Rahul Gandhi.' pic.twitter.com/wMyuh3ncfV
— ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018
Singh during a press conference added, “"He is not a natural leader. He is a leader of circumstances. A leader does not leave his people in such times. He is a non-serious president of the Congress party.”
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswas Sarma also hit out at the Congress President. "If BJP chief Amit Shah is a student of post graduation then Congress President Rahul Gandhi is still in nursery class," he said while comparing the two leaders' capability in politics.
Sarma was in the Congress for nearly two decades and a minister in the then Tarun Gogoi-led Congress governments for nearly 15 years before joining the BJP in 2015.
However, the statements made by the BJP leaders have not gone down well with the Congress top-brass. Speaking to ANI, Congress leader Ahmed Patel said, “Absolutely baseless, is it a crime for someone to visit his own grandmother? It has become a profession for him to make unnecessary comments,” he said.
Absolutely baseless, is it a crime for someone to visit his own grandmother? It has become a profession for him to make unnecessary comments: Ahmed Patel, Congress on Union Minister Giriraj Singh's comments on Congress President Rahul Gandhi pic.twitter.com/BTnkBnykum
— ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018
Despite going neck-and-neck in Meghalaya, Patel also claimed that the Congress had a clear majority in the state. DNA has also learnt that the Congress is approaching possible alliances in the state.
.@mukulsangma: We're waiting for the final tally to emerge, and keeping a close watch on the other side. We are hopeful that the Congress will come back to Meghalaya, but we're going to keep the strategies close to your chest." @dna
— amrita madhukalya (@visually_kei) March 3, 2018
Meanwhile, Congress leader Kamal Nath said that the people of Tripura will come to understand gradually the factors that brought them to power.