Ahmedabad:
His first offer to write to Sonia Gandhi in Italian infuriated the Congress. But Narendra Modi can't understand why.
"If Obama speaks in Hindi on Diwali, television channels keep on highlighting this, the whole country appreciates it. But if I say that I want to write in Italian on price rise...why am I being criticized? What wrong have I done?'' asked the Gujarat Chief Minister on Wednesday.
Last week, Modi at a public rally declared, "I have written scores of letters to the Centre saying there is a need to control the rise in food prices. I wrote in a language they understand. But nothing has come of it. Now I guess I will have to write to them in Italian."
"Only Modi could have made such a preposterous comment. Modi must have lost it," said Manish Tiwari, the Congress spokesperson.
Narendra Modi has raked up the issue of Sonia Gandhi's Italian origin in every election since 2002. Then, in 2007, Sonia Gandhi struck back, referring to Modi as the Maut Ka Saudagar or 'Merchant of Death', invoking the communal riots that took place in 2002 on Modi's watch.
Modi was re-elected that December for the third time.
But with the Congress returning to power with a sound majority last May, political analysts say Modi wants to project himself as more than an irrepressible right-wing leader. He wants to be identified with issues that all voters consider important - like inflation and food prices.