Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi addressing students at Mount Carmel College in Bengaluru
Rahul Gandhi's potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet "Swachh Bharat" and "Make in India" campaigns appeared to misfire today as he addressed students at a college in Bengaluru.
During a Q and A at the prestigious Mount Carmel College for women, Mr Gandhi spoke on a range of subjects with a common idea, that the "suit-boot" government was failing on all fronts.
Warming up to his theme of "all talk and no direction", Mr Gandhi said: "With the Modi government, I don't see a clear direction, I hear a lot of talk. Are we serious? Clean your country is a strategic national government programme? Well it's not working, is it?"
If he hoped for a loud, resounding "no", he did not get one. His surprise was visible when he heard: "It is!"
Stumped, the Congress leader pressed: "You see it working?" Again, he got a louder "Yes" than "No".
He recovered and said: "Ok I don't see Swachh Bharat working very well."
Mr Gandhi then tried another question. "You think Make in India is working?" This time, he got a mix of ayes and nays. "You think youngsters in India are getting jobs?" he asked.
He finally stopped asking. "I don't see a vision that the BJP is projecting. So for the Congress...we have to come up with a potential vision for the people of India," he said.
Targeting PM Modi, the Congress leader said: "
Only one man decides everything in this government. I don't believe that only one man has the solution to India's problems."
To a question on the youth opting for the Aam Aadmi Party and BJP rather than the Congress, Mr Gandhi admitted: "In 10 years, there was some fatigue with the Congress. There were some things we did wrong...and we lost the elections. We need to give a new face and image to the Congress."
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said: "Rahul Gandhi should understand that they have failed. He was answered by the students today. People are with us and we are working for them."