NEW DELHI, Apr 12
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments on opposition leaders eating non-vegetarian during the holy month of Sawan – ostensibly aimed at RJD’s Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi, and Congress’s Rahul Gandhi – evoked a sharp reaction from two parties. While the Congress said a “panicky” Prime Minister is providing a new example of his “sick mindset”, the RJD said Modi’s comments betrayed his “nervousness” over the upcoming polls, which would explain why he has “started raking up sensitive, religious and emotional issues”.
The PM’s comments were seen as an attack on two videos – one from September, of Lalu and Rahul cooking mutton; and the other from earlier this week, of Tejashwi having fish.
“Whom you were trying to appease by hurting the sentiments of someone by circulating the video of mutton preparation during the month of Sawan,” Modi said in Udhampur. “I know that these people will now come after me and hurl abuses, but when things go out of control, it becomes my duty to apprise people about these things.” Shortly after, Tejashwi told reporters, “Key issues like poverty, unemployment, jobs need to be discussed. Why hasn’t poverty been eradicated? Why was Bihar not given special status?” He had earlier said the video was from April 8, before Navratri began. Congress communication head Jairam Ramesh also reacted to Modi’s comments: “Unlike the Prime Minister, we have not tracked which leader ate what in which month. Here are the nutrition data points that we are tracking instead. Anaemia is caused by several factors, including iron deficiency, inadequate diet, and other nutrient deficiencies. Between 2015-16 and 2019-21, anaemia in children under 5 increased by nearly 10 percentage points. Among women aged 15 to 19, the prevalence of anaemia increased by 9.2%. In the PM’s home state of Gujarat, a shocking eight out of ten children under five were found to be anaemic.”
Further, he claimed that a Rs 4,000 crore scheme to include breakfast for school going children in the mid-may meal programme was vetoed by the Finance Ministry due to a lack of funds.
“The Global Health Indicator report shows India’s child wasting rate at 18.7%, the highest among countries on its index. The child stunting rate is 35.5%, the 15th highest in the world. Malnutrition remains widespread under the Modi sarkar, and has even gotten worse according to several data indicators,” he said. “Every day the Prime Minister provides us with a new example of his sick mindset. The Prime Minister’s non-stop politicking is infantile and tiresome. A week before the first phase of polls, the BJP has barely put together a manifesto committee. Meanwhile, the Congress has published its manifesto, launched its door-to-door campaign to distribute our Guarantee Cards to every household, and started its advertisement campaign.
We are setting the agenda and taking our message to the masses. A panicky Prime Minister is trying to find a new diversion every day,” Ramesh said. RJD spokesperson Subodh Kumar Mehta told: “We condemn the PM’s statement, especially the use of language for our leader Lalu Prasad ji. The PM himself agreed that no law or religious text would dictate one’s choice of food. But his comments show he is nervous at the very start of the election campaign. He has perhaps seen the writings on the wall.”
Ostensibly referring to Lalu, the PM had called him a person who has been punished by court and is out on bail.
“Why is the PM not talking about the status of unemployment and how short-sighted schemes like Agniveer hurt the morale of the youth. Why is he not talking about how several beneficiaries of the Ujjawala scheme are not getting LPG cylinders?” Mehta said.
