At Opening Speech At Huge BJP Meet, Amit Shah Targets Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi has it all wrong - dynasty or family connections in launching careers is "a tradition of the Congress and not of India", NDTV has learnt BJP chief Amit Shah said today, responding to the Congress Vice President's controversial remarks at Berkeley in California last month.

Mr Gandhi, whose family is the pivotal force of the Congress, told students "this is how India works" when he was asked about dynasty politics. He also cited a list of Indians who have inherited their family's legacy to contend that he should not be singled out for benefiting from his last name. Among those offered as evidence by Mr Gandhi: the Ambanis, Abhishek Bachchan and several politicians like MK Stalin and Akhilesh Yadav.

Mr Shah's rebuttal was offered in his opening remarks at BJP National Executive Meet in Delhi attended by 2,000 leaders including 13 Chief Ministers and the party's state and national law-makers.

Mr Gandhi at the Berkeley session also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government of eroding secularism and promoting intolerance. The BJP chief, who is the Prime Minister's closest aide, responded today that while Mr Gandhi has no problem criticizing the Indian government in a foreign country, the BJP's record speaks for itself. "Look at the huge corruption while the Congress was in power," Mr Shah said, referring to the many swindles in sectors ranging from coal to telecom that erupted with the collusion of government officials when the previous Congress-led government was in power. "There has not been one charge or corruption against the BJP in the last three years," Mr Shah said.

His other comments emphasized the BJP's plans to expand its foothold in the northeast and the south.