New Delhi:
As Rahul Gandhi tore into Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "playing the drums in Japan and ignoring problems back home", the ruling BJP had a sharp retort. "Why should we listen to him when his own party members are not listening to him?" said union minister Venkaiah Naidu.
Speaking in his constituency Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, where he was flooded with complaints of power cuts by residents, the Congress vice president said, "100 days of this government are over...Where is the action? The government has forgotten its promises on power, water, corruption, prices..." (
Stop Drumming in Japan, Focus on Home Affairs, says Rahul Gandhi to PM)
The 44-year-old was also asked about reports of a divide within the Congress after comments by senior leaders questioning his leadership. "These types of tensions have always been there. We will deal with that," he said dismissively.
But several BJP leaders picked this point to hit back at him.
"Who takes RG seriously? He has been left alone by his own party," said BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, adding, "His own party is saying they should go on leave if they want to salvage the party, so let them sort out their own issues first."
The BJP government completed 100 days in office this week. In May, the party won a stunning victory in the national election with the strongest mandate for a political party in 30 years. (
From Playing Drums to Meeting Fans, the Modi Touch is Visible)
Mr Gandhi led the campaign for the Congress, which suffered its worst-ever defeat after two straight terms in power, weighed down by allegations of corruption and an economic slowdown.
Responding to Mr Gandhi's charge that the new government had failed to resolve power and water crises, BJP leader Ram Madhav said, "The previous government is responsible for the power crisis, the present government is only working to resolve the issue."