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Rahul faces flak for skipping PM's farewell
Rahul faces flak for skipping PM\'s farewell, Rahul Gandhi, the Congress party\'s chief campaigner in the national election, is being sharply criticised for skipping his mother Sonia Gandhi\'s farewell dinner for PM Manmohan Singh on Wednesday night.
- Cong v-p met the PM before going abroad, there is no question of an insult: Cong
- PM for 10 yrs, when relinquishing his office, deserves a better farewell: BJP
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New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi, the Congress party's chief campaigner in the national election, is being sharply criticised for skipping his mother Sonia Gandhi's farewell dinner for PM Manmohan Singh on Wednesday night. Several Congress leaders tried to defend Rahul saying he had met the Prime Minister before flying out of town. "Rahul Gandhi met the PM before going abroad, there is no question of an insult," said the party's Satyavrat Chaturvedi. But the murmurs that began at the farewell dinner have turned into a torrent of condemnation. "The whole country knows how the Congress has treated PM. A PM for 10 years, when relinquishing his office, deserves a befitting farewell. Rahul Gandhi should have been there," said BJP's Abhimanyu Singh.
Rahul on Thursday returned to the capital from his foreign trip. "For 10 years you ruled this country, your PM ruled this country, if you could not take out time for his farewell dinner, then how will you take out time for the nation?" questioned Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut. SP leader Naresh Agarwal alleged, "Rahul Gandhi has insulted the PM. He thought of himself, above the country." Rahul’s office issued a statement: "Rahul Gandhi met the PM on Saturday to say that he won't be in town. He thanked him already."
With exit polls predicting an unprecedented rout for the Congress, Rahul absence raised speculation that he was reluctant to face questions on the party's performance. On Tuesday, several Congress leaders insisted that Friday's results would not be a judgment on Rahul, as he was not a part of the government. Meanwhile, Rahul is learnt to have denied violating the model code of conduct in his reply to EC's notice for his reported remarks that if BJP comes to power, 22,000 people will be killed in violence, saying he has quoted facts available in public domain.
