READ ALSO:

Rahul says PM plays drums in Japan as India reels under power crisis

Digvijaya Singh said Cong lost because Rahul Gandhi was silent. Its good he was silent else Congress wouldnt hv won even 44 seats: Amit Shah — ANI (@ANI_news) September 4, 2014

(With inputs from IANS)

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Thursday hit back at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi over his jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi , saying that his voice is not heard within his own party.Responding to Digvijaya Singh's statement that Congress lost the Lok Sabha polls because Rahul Gandhi was silent, BJP president Amit Shah said, "It is good he (Rahul) was silent, else Congress wouldn't have won even 44 seats."Shah, who is in Maharashtra ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in the state, added, "Till Congress is in power in Maharashtra, Modiji's 'Congress mukt Bharat' slogan wont come true."Parliamentary affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidu also dismissed Gandhi's remarks."His voice is not heard by his own party, why should we listen," Naidu said here replying to a query from reporters.Bharatiya Janata Party vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the Congress had not been able to accept the verdict of the people in the last Lok Sabha elections."People of the country are feeling proud over the change that has come about (since Modi government took office)," Naqvi said.BJP spokesperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam said Rahul Gandhi "should be aware of facts" as the NDA government had taken effective steps to check price rise."He is a senior leader. He should show responsibility," Kumaramangalam said.She said Gandhi has to answer for the poor condition of roads and power in his constituency which he has been representing for the past 10 years.BJP leader SP Jain said problems concerning water and power were legacies of the previous United Progressive Alliance government.Gandhi told reporters in Amethi that Modi was playing the drums in Japan while people in the country were battling power cuts, price rise and lack of roads and water supply.He said the BJP had made tall promises on issues such as price rise in the run-up to the general elections but there is no action on the ground after it came to power.