On the campaign trail in Madhya Pradesh:
Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj told NDTV today that her party does not take Rahul Gandhi seriously. Explaining why, she said Mr Gandhi ' appears confused."
"Is he an angry young man or a social activist?" she asked before declaring that he has "not shown the mettle that it takes to be Prime Minister. " (
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Mr Gandhi is the vice-president of the Congress; his mother, Sonia, is party chief. Though he has not been declared the Congress's candidate for prime minister, the 43-year-old is leading the party's campaign for the national elections, due by May.
Describing her relationship with his mother, Ms Swaraj said, "My equation with Sonia Gandhi is civil. I have just one problem with her. She cannot be the PM of my country. Otherwise I'm the one who reached out to her and said we should work together in parliament."
Ms Swaraj's party, the BJP, has picked Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as its choice for PM. Like Mr Gandhi, he has run into trouble for language used in his election speeches. Ms Swaraj said today, "I have always been an advocate of decent language. You can be aggressive while still remaining decent."
Yesterday, the Election Commission asked Mr Modi to explain why he used the phrase "Koohn ka panja" or "bloody claw" to pillory the Congress, whose symbol is the hand.
Mr Gandhi received a stern reprimand from the Election Commission yesterday which faulted the "tone and tenor" of comments he made against the BJP at rallies last month. Mr Gandhi accused the BJP of lighting fires of communal violence in different parts of the country.
The Election Commission has pointed out that the model code of conduct, which kicks in as soon as elections are announced, prohibits leaders from making unsubstantiated allegations against other political parties or making remarks that encourage communal tension.