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Manish Tewari on Assam CM's ‘Saddam Hussein’ swipe at Rahul: 'sounds like petty troll’
Manish Tewari also accused the BJP leader of legitimising corruption in Gujarat - where the party hopes to remain in power after next month's election - calling it a 'dangerous sign' for democracy.
Congress leader Manish Tewari on Wednesday compared Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to a 'petty troll' after the BJP leader declared Rahul Gandhi - leading the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra across India - now looks like Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Sarma was taking a cheap shot at Gandhi's appearance; the Congress MP now sports a big bushy beard.
Tewari on Wednesday said public servants needed to maintain 'decorum of language and propriety'. "The chief minister of Assam, unfortunately, sounds like a petty troll when he articulates sentences of this kind," he was quoted by news agency ANI.
He also accused the BJP leader of legitimising corruption in Gujarat - where the party hopes to remain in power after next month's election - calling it a 'dangerous sign' for democracy.
"You (BJP) legitimised corruption and then you say you want to implement this model in the entire country. The legitimisation of corruption is a dangerous sign for democracy," he said.
Referring to the bridge collapse in Morbi district last month - in which 141 people died - Tewari said the BJP had become 'arrogant' and believed they cannot be removed from power.
"If such a tragedy had taken place in some other state and 141 innocent people have died and over 180 (were) injured... would responsibility not have been set? Would nobody have resigned? The Gujarat High Court is slamming the state government daily."
The Congress leader demanded the BJP's Gujarat government arrest those guilty in the Morbi incident and pointed to comments on the subject by the Supreme Court.
"Supreme Court also said Gujarat High Court needs to keep a close eye... Who were the people arrested? Ticket seller...normal workers. Big fishes like the ones who are wealthy... the one who was given the contract... why aren't they being arrested?" he asked.
"Because the government has become arrogant," he answered his question.
Tewari called on the voters of Gujarat to 'break this arrogance' when they exercise their franchise next month; prime minister Narendra Modi's home state votes in two phases - on December 1 and December 5, with results due three days later.
On Tuesday Sarma was at an event in Gujarat when he said: "I said in a television interview a few days ago... there is no problem with Rahul Gandhi's new look. But if you have to change your looks at least make it like Vallabhbhai Patel or Jawaharlal Nehru. Even better if you look like Gandhiji... but why do you look more like Saddam Hussein now?"
(With ANI inputs)
