lok-sabha-elections

Updated: Jan 28, 2019 20:12 IST

The Congress on Monday took a swipe at Union minister Nitin Gadkari for his remarks that leaders who fail to fulfil promises get “beaten up” by people, saying his target was Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his eyes were on the PM’s chair.

The BJP, however, said Gadkari’s remarks were aimed at exposing the Congress and highlighting the developmental work done by the central government. Gadkari, while speaking at a function in Mumbai on Sunday, had said political leaders, who sell dreams to people but fail to make them a reality, get “beaten up” by the public.

Asked about the statement, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said: “Ek Hindi ki kahawat hai — kahin pe nigahein, kahin pe nishana, unki nigahein bhi pradhan mantri ki kursi ke upar hain aur unka nishana bhi pradhan mantri ji hi the (There is a Hindi saying that you are looking in one direction but your target is elsewhere. Gadkari’s eyes were on the PM’s chair and his target was also the prime minister).”

“I don’t think this should surprise anyone. If you see this statement in context of his earlier remarks in which he had said ‘we did not expect to come to power, so we made the promises that came to mind’.... so if you see these two statements in proper context then it will be clear who it was aimed at,” Tewari said.

Last month, Gadkari had said at an event in Pune that leadership should have the tendency to own up defeat and failures. The remarks had come days after the BJP’s dismal show in Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh assembly polls.