Rahul Gandhi's Twist To PM's "Andolanjeevi" Taunt In Parliament

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has joined the exchange of "andolanjeevi" jibes over the protest by farmers against the three new farm laws. A word used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi two days ago in parliament that could be seen as referring to people who often participate in mass mobilisation, "andolanjeevi" was also picked up by Congress leader P Chidambaram today to take a swipe at PM Modi.

Replying to the Presidential address, PM Modi had hit out at those behind the farmer protests saying the country should beware of them. "There is a new crop of andolanjeevi. They live for protests. They look for ways to start a new movement...The country needs to be aware of these andolanjeevi," the Prime Minister told the Rajya Sabha.

The Congress has been supporting the farmers' demand for complete withdrawal of the farm laws.

Then Mr Chidambaram tweeted to say he was a "proud andolanjeevi", and the "quintessential andolanjeevi was Mahatma Gandhi."

Hours later, Mr Gandhi also joined the war of words, but with a variation - this time attacking what he has often called "cronies".

"Crony-jeevi is someone who is selling the country," Mr Gandhi tweeted, rubbing in his party's stand on the farmers, who have alleged companies will be able to control the farm market once the laws kick in.

Thousands of farmers who have been camping on the Delhi-Haryana border have said they will not return home unless the three laws are withdrawn. The government has offered to discuss the laws clause by clause and even agreed to pause their implementation for one-and-a-half years, but the farmers want nothing less than total repeal of the laws.