The Congress on Saturday confronted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claim that some people had given “supari” (contract) to defame him, seeking to turn the tables on him by saying he had taken “supari” to pick people’s pockets. Several others felt that Modi's choice of language was unbecoming of the Prime Minister's post.
Referring to essential medicine getting costlier from Friday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge tweeted: “Modiji, aapne toh janata ki jeb kaatne ki ‘supari’ lee hai (Modiji, you have taken a contract to pick people’s pocket).”
Kharge’s reference to “supari” — a term used by criminals and ruffians — was a retort to Modi using the term at an event in Bhopal, triggering criticism from Congress workers and other social media users alike.
Modi had said: “There are some people who took a vow in 2014 itself to malign Modi’s image…. Iske liye in logon ne bhaanti bhaanti ke logon ko supari de rakhi hai aur khud bhi morcha sambhale huye hain… yeh log desh ke bhitar hai, kuch log desh ke bahar bhi kaam kar rahe hain (For this, they have given a contract to all kinds of people in and outside the country. Some of them are doing it on their own).”
The Prime Minister's choice of language did not go down well with a large number of people who promptly linked it to the ongoing controversy about his educational qualification and degree. The fresh controversy erupted after Gujarat High Court ruled there was no need to furnish the Prime Minister’s degree and fined Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal Rs 25,000 for demanding the documents.
Thousands of people tweeted condemning Modi for using language unbecoming of his post. “Is this the language the leader of a country speaks — Given a supari? It sounds so juvenile — whining every now and then that somebody or the other is out to malign him! Seems to be a serious case of persecution complex,” a Twitter user wrote.
The Prime Minister, who was hailed as the "most popular leader in the world" even on Saturday by the BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya and who is feted as a Vishwaguru (world leader) by his supporters, has often been accused of playing the victim card to generate sympathy for himself.
While he has explained in detail how the Opposition showers filthy abuses on him, he has been alleging at recent public meetings that the Congress is saying: “Modi teri kabr khudegi (Modi, your grave will be dug).” Senior Congress leaders avoided getting into polemics and instead pointed to the rising prices.
Like Kharge, Rahul Gandhi too had on Friday described the government as “jeb-katri sarkar (pickpocket government)”, pointing to the rising financial burden on the poor. Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh retweeted a message posted by former colleague Kapil Sibal who said: “Modiji’s charge: They have given a contract to people… some within the country and some outside the country to dig Modi’s grave. Please let us know the names of these: 1) individuals 2) institutions or 3) countries. This cannot be a state secret. Let us prosecute them.”
Congress social media head Supriya Shrinate retweeted this tweet from a retired army officer, Lt Col Anil Duhoon: “Image is getting tarnished because you told lies blatantly, repeatedly and without any remorse. You Narendra Modi have let down the country and its people by your lies.”
While the Prime Minister has been talking about perceived attempts to dent his image for years, he has raised the topic with greater intensity after Rahul began asking withering questions about his relationship with businessman Gautam Adani and described the attempts to silence the Opposition as an attack on democracy.
Rahul was asked to tender an apology for allegedly defaming India on foreign soil but the Congress hit back by circulating videos of Modi’s speeches abroad. In one speech, Modi had gone so far as to say: “People often lamented what sin they committed to have been born in India; is this a country? What kind of a people…?” The Congress has presented this as the ultimate insult to India and Indians.
