Gadkari attacks Sonia, Congress returns fire (Lead)
June 15th, 2011 - 9:03 pm ICT by IANS
Kolkata/New Delhi, June 15 (IANS) India’s top two parties were locked in a bitter war of words Wednesday after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari questioned Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s democratic credentials.
Addressing party activists in Kolkata, Gadkari said India would never forget the “black chapter” of Emergency rule that then prime minister Indira Gandhi presided over in 1975-77.
“If Soniaji tries to move away from the path of democracy and tries to impose Emergency, we will not tolerate it,” he thundered.
Gadkari, who heads the opposition BJP, said Sonia Gandhi had no right to talk about corruption.
“Sonia Gandhi says she will fight corruption. It is like Pakistan saying they will fight terrorism. Will anyone believe this?” he asked.
The Congress, which heads the ruling coalition in New Delhi, retaliated, saying Gadkari was not suited to head any political party.
Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said: “He is unfit to be a leader not only in the national but in any level of our democratic polity.”
In his comments, Gadkari also described as “fascism” the police crackdown on yoga guru Baba Ramdev and his supporters in New Delhi that forced him out of the city.
“The incident which happened at Ramlila Ground was Ravan Lila. The crackdown showcases the restlessness of the Congress-led UPA government. What happened is fascism and cannot be tolerated,” he said.
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Tags: bharatiya janata party, bitter war, bjp president, congress chief, congress returns, democratic credentials, democratic polity, emergency rule, indira gandhi, jayanthi, jayanthi natarajan, party activists, party congress, police crackdown, prime minister indira, ramdev, ravan, sonia gandhi, war of words, yoga guru