Former Congress member turned Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Gourav Vallabh took a swipe at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, asking why, if he is a Hindu, he turned down an invitation to the Ram Mandir consecration. In an interview with ABP Live's "Nashte Par Netaji" programme, the saffron party leader stated that those (Congress party and its leaders) who rejected the invitation to the Ram Mandir event "lack the ability to even compete in a class monitor election".
When the show's host, Monigya Loiwal, asked, "Rahul Gandhi claims himself to be a 'janeudhari', says he is a Hindu, visits temples..."
Vallabh interrupted the show host and asked, "Then why did he not attend the Ram Temple consecration? I was dying to be in Ayodhya on that particular day. It was my greatest dream to see such an event unfold in front of me. He was invited, so why wasn't he there? He said he would go after the event was over; it has been months and he still hasn't visited the temple."
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Furthermore, Vallabh criticised the functioning of the Congress party, alleging that it is dominated by personal assistants rather than capable leaders. He suggested that those who rejected the invitation to the Ram Temple consecration lacked the competence even to contest a school monitor election.
The new BJP joinee went on to say that the "Congress is being run by the PAs (personal assistants) of the leaders".
When Loiwal asked, "What difference do you see in terms of education and intelligence that is lacking in the grand old party?" (Vidya and Buddha, why are you missing from the Congress Party? (Vidya aur buddhi mein kya antar dekhte hain aap, jo Congress party mein missing hain ya zyada hai, aapke anusaar)"
"Congress is run by the leaders' personal assistants". Vallabh responded that the person who turned down the invitation to consecrate the Ram Mandir is "unfit to run in a class monitor election".
Vallabh, reiterating his criticism of the Congress leadership, claimed that persons responsible for ticket allocations within the grand old party lack basic knowledge and connection with the ground reality.
"The person who is allocating tickets to the people to contest polls from the party, I urge you to ask that person, to name five regions from Uttar Pradesh, the person will unable to even name them properly," Vallabh went on to say.
Vallabh also stated that he had pointed out all of these issues in a letter to the Congress leadership, stressing the lack of direction and constructive solutions to various challenges within the party.