New Delhi:
Rahul Gandhi today dedicated some of his speech in Parliament to praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, or rather, US President Barack Obama's praise for him. For a short while, there were some baffled faces on both the ruling and opposition benches.
"You will be happy to hear what I have to say. I was at the Congress president's (Sonia Gandhi) house and I saw the Time magazine. Obama ji has written a long article praising Modiji," Mr Gandhi said.
"America is a country of corporates. A US president has praised some like this for the first time in 60 years. An American president had praised Gorbachev, because he had helped them."
He then came to his point, which was that like the Russian leader, PM Modi was also helping corporates. "The government wants to give internet to big industrialists," he said, pitching for net neutrality.
In an article in Time titled "India's reformer-in-chief," President Obama described PM Modi's journey "from poverty to Prime Minister" as one that reflects the dynamism and potential of India's rise.
"Like India," wrote the US president, "he transcends the ancient and the modern - a devotee of yoga who connects with Indian citizens on Twitter and imagines a 'digital India'."