Sources said another reason for Rahul not agreeing to personal attacks on the PM was his "personal conviction" not to bring the level of discourse down — at least from the Congess's side.
Today, when former Union Minister and Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar made derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he didn't just embarrass his party. In making the comments, he also vilolated the Congress's diktat to its leaders not to make "any personal comment" against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the ongoing Gujarat Assembly election campaign.
Sources told DNA that while devising the strategy for the Gujarat campaign, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had issued instructions to senior party leaders to ensure that no personal attacks were made against the Prime Minister. This, sources said, was also due to the fear of Modi's capacity to use such personal attacks on him to his own and the BJP's advantage and, thereby, reap electoral benefits in his home state.
Sources said another reason for Rahul not agreeing to personal attacks on the PM was his "personal conviction" not to bring the level of discourse down — at least from the Congess's side.
A senior Congress leader disclosed that, following Rahul's decision, written instructions were also circulated among senior leaders, asking them, spokespersons and party's social media team to refrain from making any personnel remark against the PM and instead focus on his governance, "falsehoods" and failure to deliver promises.
It was decided to place evidence to persuade the people not to treat the PM with kid-gloves. The daily question being posed by Rahul to the Prime Minister, none of which has been answered so far, was part of this strategy to hit Brand Modi.
At a rally at Mehsana in Gujarat, Rahul also asked Modi to clarify if he had accepted any money from Sahara and Aditya Birla groups as Chief Minister, as alleged in papers signed by the Income Tax officials.
"Considering the dignity of the Prime Minister's post, it was decided that no such statement should be made against him. Rahul also asked Congress leaders to desist from making any remark which could tarnish party's image," asserted Congress general secretary and incharge of Gujarat Ashok Gehlot.
The bitter experience of Congress president Sonia Gandhi's description of Modi as "Maut Ka Saudagar" and "Zaher ki Kheti" during the 2007 Gujarat elections backfiring after being used by Modi to his advantage had also made the Congress toe a different line now.
Similarly ahead of Lok Sabha polls in 2014, Aiyar's jibe asking Modi to sell tea at the ongoing All India Congress Committee (AICC) session had been lapped up by grateful BJP campaign managers.
They galvanised their cadres to organise "chai pa charcha" programmes all over country, thus projecting elections as a fight between elite Congress leaders and a humble person.
Just ahead of this year's UP elections, Rahul had himself waded into muddy waters by charging the Prime Minister with indulging in "khoon ki dalali", a reference to Modi citing the surgical strikes by Indian soldiers on Pakistani camps as an achievement of his government.
In the midst of the UP campaign, party's Saharanpur candidate Imran Masood had threatened to cut Modi into pieces. This tirade gave the BJP a plank to openly take up the issue with the electorate.
While Rahul was quick to ask Aiyar to apologise for his comments, Congress leaders point to the "crude" language being used by some BJP leaders against the Congress leadership.
Incidentally, during the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, then Information and Broadcasting Minister Pramod Mahajan had compared Sonia Gandhi to Monica Lewinsky at a public rally. But, he was immediately reprimanded by then Prime Minister AB Vajpayee, who even asked him to fly to Delhi to organise a press conference and personally apologise to Sonia Gandhi.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "rahul-gandhi-PTI")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}