'Rahul was a less than average MP'

Even as the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi launched a blistering attack in Amethi on the Congress’ first family, in the national capital it was senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha who led the charge against the Congress by targeting Rahul Gandhi while sparing his mother Sonia Gandhi.

The BJP released a pamphlet titled 'Amethi's untold story' to question the development of the constituency held by the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty since Independence.

Fielding a heavyweight to lend gravity to the charges against Rahul and the Congress, Yashwant Sinha wanted to know what effort the Gandhi scion had invested for the development of his constituency, held by the family for the last 37 years.

He explained to reporters that since the faltering Rahul was running the show, with his mother Sonia receding to the background, the BJP had focused its final assault on the leader himself in its drive for a “Bharat mukta Congress”. 

Sinha, however, skirted questions on the party’s strategy by suggesting that the BJP has been raising issues even in Raebareli which is Sonia’s constituency.

“In the 37 years family represented this constituency, neither basic amenities improved nor life of people improved. Worse, he is less than an average MP,” Sinha remarked, less than an hour before Modi went all out against Sonia and both her children Rahul and Priyanka in Amethi.

Sinha said there are two ways of judging an MP’s performance. He had com armed with statistics to prove to reporters that Rahul had failed both in Parliament as well as in developing his constituency.

Sinha pointed out that the Congress Vice-president did not raise a single question on Amethi in the last five years in Parliament. Similarly, he had participated in Lok Sabha debates only twice, including one which was impromptu and allowed by the Speaker disregarding the rules. His attendance in Parliament was a mere 42.9 per cent, Sinha stated, while making public Rahul’s parliamentary record for 2009-2014.

The former finance minister said Rahul’s performance was below par if compared with the average performance of other Lower House members whose average attendance was 76 per cent. On an average an MP asked 300 questions participated in 38 debates.