Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi addressing party workers in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh
After needling the government with his "suit-boot ki sarkar" barb, Rahul Gandhi has provoked an acerbic response for marking the government at "zero out of 10" in its policies for farmers.
"Zeroes can't find heroes. Zeroes find zeroes only," tweeted senior minister M Venkaiah Naidu today.
Mr Gandhi, 44, is currently touring Amethi, his first visit to his constituency in five months. The Congress Vice President has publicly accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of cancelling permission for a massive food processing plant in the area to punish Mr Gandhi. "Exact revenge using me, but don't use farmers, the poor," Mr Gandhi said at a public event today, highlighting the latest theme of his campaign against the government for allegedly being "anti-farmer."
Mr Gandhi's arrival in Amethi comes days after a visit by BJP leader and union minister Smriti Irani, who contested the parliamentary election against him last year, and was defeated. Like other BJP leaders, Ms Irani has said that it was the earlier government led by Mr Gandhi's party that failed to facilitate the food park which, Mr Gandhi has said, would create business opportunities for thousands of farmers along with much-needed jobs.
Mr Gandhi took a two-month sabbatical during the last parliamentary session, leaving his party to fend off allegations that he is an occasional politician. Since his return, he has demonstrated a new willingness to comment in parliamentary debates. While denouncing the government's proposed land reforms, he used "suit-boot ki sarkar" to deride it as an administration in service to crony capitalism.
BJP ministers have, in retaliation, asked if the "suit-boot" Mr Gandhi repeatedly references is an allusion to his brother-in-law, Robert Vadra, who allegedly got sweetheart land deals in Haryana for his real estate firm while the Congress was in power in the state.