Smriti Irani said Rahul Gandhi lacks the vision to develop the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi usually refers to himself as Kaamdaar (ground worker) and Congress president Rahul Gandhi as Naamdaar (dynast), but Union Minister Smriti Irani today changed the narrative a little to cover new political developments on the national front. In a remark made to news agency ANI, she said that Naamdaar Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was forced to take the plunge into politics because her Kaamdaar brother -- Rahul Gandhi -- was failing miserably at his job ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
"Five years back, in 2014, we all saw Congress president Rahul Gandhi running from pillar to post in Amethi. Now, the Kaamdaar's work is such that Naamdaar (Priyanka Gandhi) had to enter. Rahul Gandhi should not show the country dreams of development when he cannot develop his own constituency," she told ANI.
Ms Irani claimed that the Congress president lacks vision to develop the country. "I have heard Rahul's speeches at the Parliament, and he is always saying that if you die, I will get you money. He does not talk about empowering the nation," ANI quoted her as saying.
Priyanka Gandhi's husband, Robert Vadra, also came in for criticism over the ongoing investigation against him in a money-laundering case. "The Gandhi family has turned corruption into a tradition. Such shameless gestures cannot be done by any other person," Ms Irani told the news agency.
Mr Vadra was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate today for the third time this week.
For a long time now, PM Modi has been terming the upcoming elections as a battle between a Kaamdaar (in a reference to himself) and a Naamdaar (Rahul Gandhi). "Unlike some people, I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. We are not seeking votes for our grandsons or granddaughters but to help fulfil your dreams," he had said at a rally in Nagaur ahead of the Rajasthan elections on November 7.
(With inputs from ANI)