MYSORE: BJP leader V Srinivasa Prasad on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was wrong for levelling corruption allegations against former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and said that the prime minister should not have called the late PM ‘Bhrashtachari No 1’ (corrupt No 1).
“Allegations against him in the Bofors scam are not acceptable. Modi should not have spoken like that against Rajiv Gandhi. It was unnecessary to take his name,” said Prasad, who is six-time MP and former Karnataka state minister.
The prime minister sparked a political row when he said at an election rally in Basti, Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday that former PM Rajiv Gandhi ended his life as ‘Bhrashtachari No 1’. PM Modi had made the remarks while attacking Congress president Rahul Gandhi. “Your father was termed `Mr Clean` by his courtiers, but his life ended as `Bhrashtachari No 1`,” he had said.
Prasad, however, said that PM Modi was wrong in saying that Rajiv Gandhi had “died due to corruption allegations.””LTTE planned and assassinated Rajiv Gandhi and he did not die of corruption allegations,” he said.”I have lots of respect for Modi but even tallest of leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee have said many good things about Rajiv Gandhi. I have myself seen him take big responsibilities at a small age,” Prasad said.
Prasad was once a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government but he had later joined the Congress. He rejoined the BJP in 2017.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi had preferred to give a very measured response to PM’s comment, saying he will try to spread only “love” and “hugs” but several opposition leaders have slammed PM Modi for his remarks against Rajiv Gandhi.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out PM Modi for his jbe at Rajiv Gandhi and said, “People who lay down their lives for the country, they should be respected. Yesterday, you called Rajiv Gandhi corrupted Prime Minister. Today you are calling me ‘tolabaaz’. If I am a tolabaaz, what are you? What are you? Your entire body – from head to feet – is drenched in the blood of people. Only riots, only riots and only riots.”
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and other opposition leaders have also criticised PM Modi for dragging the name of late prime minister in election campaign.
Leave a Reply