Prime Minister Nerendra Modi on Friday, December 8, tore into the Congress, listing out which political leader from that party had called him what over the years.
His diatribe came just a day after Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar was suspended from primary membership of the party for calling Modi a "neech kisam ka aadmi". He later clarified that he had not meant to refer to the caste Modi hailed from, but the damage had already been done.
On Friday, Modi seemed relentless in his attack on the Congress, listing out every major Congress leader who had ever called him a name. Clearly, the agenda was to not only campaign for the second phase of the state election — which takes place on December 14 — but also make a last-ditch effort to garner more votes in the first phase.
The first phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections takes place across 89 of the 182 constituencies in the state on Saturday, December 9. Campaigning for this phase may have already ended on Thursday, but Modi — who was campaigning in Nikol for the second phase of polling that takes place on December 14 — may have upped the rhetoric to help his party in the first phase as well.
What Modi said
Speaking at the rally in Nikol, Modi said: "They have not called me 'neech' for the first time yesterday. Sonia Gandhi and her family members have used [such words against me] too. Why am I 'neech' - because I was born poor, because I am of a lower caste, because I am a Gujarati? Is that why they hate me?"
He then tore into the Congress leadership, bringing up several instances when he may have been badmouthed. Modi said: "What did Anand Sharma say? Modi is mentally unstable. One Congress leader retweeted such an offensive tweet about me that I cannot even say it. What did Digvijaya Singh tweet about me?"
Modi even called out Rahul Gandhi, talking of the time when the Congress vice-president had called him "khoon ka dalaal" — someone who is in the business of shedding blood — at the time of surgical strike.
He added: "Divijaya Singh said the Modi government is like Rakshas Raaj, and Modi is Ravan. Pramod Tiwari, who headed the Congress in UP, said Modi is in the list of Hitler, Mussolini and Gaddafi. Day and night the Congress has abused me. I keep quiet only because my priority is work."
The prime minister went on to add: "Another Congress leader called me a monkey. Jairam Ramesh compared me to Bhasmasur. Beni Prasad Verma called me a mad dog. He also said 'we won't let this mad dog win'. Ghulam Nabi Azad said I am Gangu Teli. Are these the kind of things we should say in public life?"
He also said: "Imran Masood, who they gave a ticket to, said 'we will cut Modi into pieces'. Renuka Chowdhury called me a virus. I don't even want to get started on what Gujarat Congress leaders have been calling me."
Watch the speech here:
How will it affect Phase 1?
Modi's high-pitched diatribe is sure to affect the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections, even though he was technically not campaigning for it.
The BJP, which has been in power for more than two decades in the state — both individually and in coalition — had been battling several factors, from anti-incumbency to the Patel quota stir led by Hardik Patel in the run-up to this election.
However, Mani shankar Aiyar's gaffe at a very delicate moment has given Modi and the saffron party a great opportunity to drum up sympathy and drive voters to press the button for the lotus symbol, come Saturday.
