Shivraj Singh Chouhan said Rahul Gandhi was an outsider(File)
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, fondly called Mama (maternal uncle) by his supporters, took a sharp jibe at Congress President Rahul Gandhi at a public meeting in Satna today. He used the lyrics of a famous song to attack Mr Gandhi, calling him pardesi (foreigner). He claimed Mr Gandhi stays less in the country and spends more time abroad.
"Yeh to thehre pardesi, saath kya nibhayenge?," Mr Chouhan said at an election rally, quoting the lyrics of the 1997 song sung by Qawwali singer Altaf Raja.
The voting for the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections will take place on 28 November.
Mr Chouhan said Mr Gandhi was an outsider, and in the end, Mama (Chouhan) would be present to help the people of the state. "Where will be Rahul Gandhi after 28 November? He stays less in India and more abroad. He wouldn't be in India after the voting will be over as he stays outside the country. He is an outsider, he won't be here to help us. In the end, Mama will be here to help."
Shivraj Chouhan is seeking a fourth term as the Chief Minister of the state held by the BJP since 2003. The Congress, which is contesting in Madhya Pradesh for the first time under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, hopes to wrest power from the BJP, to give a major boost to the party's campaign in the general elections due next year.
On Thursday, Punjab minister and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu said Shivraj Chouhan was "Kans Mama" in reality.
In Hindu mythology, "Kans" was the cruel king of Mathura and the maternal uncle of Lord Krishna. Mythological tales say that he wanted to kill Lord Krishna, who eventually killed him.
With inputs from ANI