Sonia Gandhi said ministers had given the PM Narendra Modi 'this stature'.
Highlights
- Mrs Gandhi attacks government over its two-year anniversary celebrations
- Celebrations inappropriate amid poverty and drought, she said
- Gandhis ruled as if India was their fiefdom, can't stomach change: BJP
Sonia Gandhi today attacked the government over its two-year anniversary celebrations and implied that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was behaving like a "
Shahanshah (emperor)".
Speaking to reporters in Raebareli, the Congress President said: "I have never seen anything like this. A Prime Minister is there, not an emperor. He is the country's Prime Minister not a
Shahanshah."
Mrs Gandhi said ministers had given the PM "this stature" and were busy celebrating at a time when "there is so much poverty in the country, there is drought and farmers are in trouble. I don't find this showing off appropriate."
Reactions from the ruling BJP were instant and sharp.
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh retorted: "The daughter-in-law of a big family is not a
maharani (queen)."
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said: "It is a deplorable comment. Sonia Gandhi and the Congress have to be reminded what the true meaning of
Shahanshah is."
The Gandhis, Mr Patra said, had been ruling over India as if it were their fiefdom. "Going by that, who other than the Gandhis can be called
Shahanshah? Mrs Indira Gandhi was responsible for Emergency. That is
Shahanshahism - dynasty rule. They can't stand the fact that a man from humble roots has now become Prime Minister. They can't digest the fact that India is truly progressing," he said.
As part of its anniversary celebrations, the government held a six-hour show at India Gate on Saturday featuring celebrities, ministers and also PM Modi, who accused the opposition of creating a "false sense of despondency". All ministers are touring cities to highlight what the government has achieved in two years.