New Delhi:
The BJP today sneered at the Congress after a new ad campaign starring Rahul Gandhi used a tagline that Narendra Modi said he had authored three years ago.
The campaign debuted in today's newspapers with the phrase "Main Nahin, Hum (Not I, we)," which, the BJP immediately pointed out, had been coined by Mr Modi in 2011 for a "Chintan Shivir" (brainstorming camp) in Gujarat.
Mr Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, also released a statement accusing Rahul Gandhi of copying his theme.
The Rahul Gandhi ad, along with a photograph of Mr Modi addressing a meeting with the phrase emblazoned behind him, identical down to the comma, went viral online.
"Copy-cat," said senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha. His colleague Shahnawaz Hussain said, "Nakal ke liye Akal chahiye (Even imitation needs brains). The Congress hates Mr Modi but loves his slogan. Rahul can steal a slogan but where will he get Modi's experience and the capacity to perform?"
The red-faced Congress argued that "there is no copyright" on the phrase. "This is not our real slogan," said a party spokesperson.
The party is more embarrassed since this is a solo ad projecting Rahul Gandhi, unaccompanied by his mother and party president Sonia Gandhi or Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It is part of a mega campaign to position the 43-year-old as a people's politician in the face of Narendra Modi's "tea vendor vs shehzada (prince)" rhetoric and Arvind Kejriwal's "Aam Aadmi" appeal.
The Congress has not named Mr Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate, but he is widely seen as the party's top choice if it returns to power after the election.