Priyanka dubs Modi's attacks 'childish': Modi retorts

In a no-holds barred attack on Narendra Modi, a combative Priyanka Gandhi today dubbed as "childish" his "namuna" (specimen) and other barbs against Rahul Gandhi and the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate too raised his pitch, accusing Congress of being a "dhokebaaz"(fraud) party.

Batting for her brother in Amethi from where he is contesting for Lok Sabha, Priyanka said BJP leaders used to make fun of her father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi when he introduced computers in the country and they are now ''mocking'' Rahul.

"They call him (Rahul) 'namuna' (specimen). Sometime they compare him to a stand up comedian and sometime they call him shehzada. I think you (Modi) aspire to be Prime Minister, then why do you indulge in such childish behaviour? He (Modi) should maintain dignity," she said at an election meeting at Deeh in Salon assembly area.

Priyanka, whose attack on BJP and its prime ministerial candidate over their targeting her husband Robert Vadra has invited sharp reaction from them, intensified her criticism of the opposition party for its "destructive" policies which, she said, pitted one brother against another.

Amid the escalating war of words, Modi branded Congress a "dhokebaaz" (fraud) party and described its manifesto as "dhokapatra".

"I do not like saying it but Congress is a party that betrays people. It is a "dhokebaaz" party. See their 2009 manifesto. It is not a manifesto but a 'dhokapatra'," he said at an election rally in Palampur in Himachal Pradesh.

Raising the issue of price rise, Modi said, "Congress had promised in its 2009 manifesto that it will bring down prices within 100 days. This was not done. So is it not a 'dhokapatra' ?"

Modi said the people may forgive a mistake but they do not spare a cheat. "If you cheat people, they will not forgive you. They may forgive a mistake but not a cheat."

"I want 300 lotuses (seats), including all the four in Himachal, to make a strong government at the Centre and pull the country out from the ditch and put it back on rails," Modi said.

Addressing another rally in Vikasnagar near Dehradun, he said elections to six of the nine phases held so far have heralded the end of the mother-son (Sonia-Rahul) rule.

Priyanka while asking people to vote for Congress said a message should be sent from her brother's constituency about the kind of politics that should be practised in India.

"Their (BJP) politics is destructive.... Don't vote for yourself or Amethi. A message should go from here about the kind of politics needed in the country. There should be clean politics," she said.

BJP candidate Smriti Irani and AAP, which has fielded Kumar Vishwas, also drew Priyanka's wrath as she accused Irani of holding meetings in dark rooms to tell people about lack of electricity and development in the constituency.

"There are different governments in the state and the Centre. Sometimes, it causes inconvenience. Giving power is state government's job... When UP government diverted power supply here, their (BJP) leaders agitated in Lucknow. Now its candidate is doing drama here," she said.

AAP neither has power at the Centre nor in state and it cannot do any development, she said as she listed out the developmental works carried out by Rahul.

She claimed that half of the programmes given in BJP's manifesto are that of Congress.
"BJP copied Congress' manifesto. When their leaders come before you ask them whether they have any plan for development. If the people are aware then the politicians have to become accountable," she said.

In Delhi, BJP trained its guns on Rahul for accusing Modi of favouring few industrialists and raising questions over development model of Gujarat and said the "insulated" Congress Vice President has poor knowledge of ground realities as he lives in a "cocoon".

Party spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi termed as baseless the contention of Rahul that Modi only favours a few industrialists and does not care for people of Gujarat.

"It shows poor knowledge of an insulated leader who does not know the ground realities," she said, while claiming that Gujarat government has done tremendously well in social welfare.