Lucknow: Triggering yet another controversy, yoga guru Ramdev on Friday alleged that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi goes to the houses of Dalits for honeymoon and picnic.
"He goes to Dalits' houses for honeymoon and picnic. Had he married a Dalit girl, then his luck could have clicked and he would have become the Prime Minister," Ramdev said at a programme in Lucknow.
He said unlike Mr Gandhi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Ramdev have not become "fakir" (single) under compulsion.
"Us bechare ki bhi kismat kharab hai (Rahul is unlucky)," Ramdev said.
"His (Rahul's) mother says that if you marry a foreigner girl, then you cannot become the PM and this boy does not want to marry an Indian girl. His mother wants that first he becomes the PM and then marry a foreigner," he added.
Later, in a damage-control exercise, the yoga guru claimed he did not make the remarks in a negative sense and was willing to withdraw them if they have hurt the Dalit sentiments.
Ramdev also refuted Congress's allegations that he was campaigning for BJP in his yoga camps. "My yoga camps are apolitical... we do not appeal for votes in these camps... Airing views through the media is my constitutional right," Ramdev told reporters.
Ramdev also claimed that Mr Gandhi will not be able to win Lok Sabha elections from Amethi this time.
"Rahul will not win elections. It's 100 per cent certain. This time, BJP's Smriti Irani will win from Amethi. Kumar Vishwas (of AAP) has sowed the seeds against Rahul there (in Amethi) and Irani will get its benefit. Sometimes what happens is a person sows the seeds but someone else reaps the benefits," he claimed.
On Priyanka Gandhi, Ramdev said that when it came to her husband's matter she said her family was being humiliated "but what happened when I was targeted and 1,000 cases were lodged against me".
"He goes to Dalits' houses for honeymoon and picnic. Had he married a Dalit girl, then his luck could have clicked and he would have become the Prime Minister," Ramdev said at a programme in Lucknow.
He said unlike Mr Gandhi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Ramdev have not become "fakir" (single) under compulsion.
"His (Rahul's) mother says that if you marry a foreigner girl, then you cannot become the PM and this boy does not want to marry an Indian girl. His mother wants that first he becomes the PM and then marry a foreigner," he added.
Advertisement
Ramdev also refuted Congress's allegations that he was campaigning for BJP in his yoga camps. "My yoga camps are apolitical... we do not appeal for votes in these camps... Airing views through the media is my constitutional right," Ramdev told reporters.
Advertisement
"Rahul will not win elections. It's 100 per cent certain. This time, BJP's Smriti Irani will win from Amethi. Kumar Vishwas (of AAP) has sowed the seeds against Rahul there (in Amethi) and Irani will get its benefit. Sometimes what happens is a person sows the seeds but someone else reaps the benefits," he claimed.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Polling Booths Set Up In Gurugram Highrises Ahead Of Haryana Polls Omar Abdullah On What Should Be J&K Assembly's 1st Move After Polls "No Guarantee Whether He Will Be In The Team": Jay Shah On India's 156.7 Kmph Pace Sensation Life On Earth Originates From One Ancestor, Older Than Previously Believed Villagers Try To Drive Away Elephant With Spiked Rods, Fireballs. It Dies Siddaramaiah's Swipe At Governor Amid Calls For Resignation: 10 Points Bengal Health Department Cancels Transfer Order Of 42 Doctors Amid Protests "Illusion": Hamas Official Dismisses US Optimism Over Gaza Ceasefire Talks 2 Killed In West Bank Strike, Israel Says It Targeted "Terrorist Cell'' Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.