The political row over Rahul Gandhi’s alleged mimicry of Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued on Monday as Congress leader Supriya Shrinate asking the BJP to “learn from satire” and Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that Gandhi “should leave politics and become a stand-up comedian”.
Because that is how democracy works,” she added, many things will be said and done about him. The row followed a ‘Chhatron ki Gunj’ programme in Indore, where a video of Rahul Gandhi laughing after a speaker referred to an interaction between Modi and an elderly woman went viral. The BJP alleged that Gandhi was mocking the prime minister’s interaction with the woman. “Keep this fake outrage to yourselves. When vile, dirty, and indecent remarks are made about Sonia ji from the BJP’s official handles, you suddenly become silent. Do not lecture us. Prime Minister Modi is the Prime Minister in a democracy. There will be satire about him, criticism of him, questions asked of him, mimicry of him, and ridicule of him. “The irony writes itself.
Responding to the controversy, Congress Chairperson Social Media & Digital Platforms Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) said the BJP’s objection was not to mimicry or comedy but to the political message behind the satire. Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the Congress leader should leave the party and pursue comedy. Asked about allegations that Gandhi had mocked Modi during the ‘Chhatron ki Gunj’ programme in Indore a day earlier, Fadnavis said, “The way Rahul Gandhi is doing mimicry, I feel he should quit the party and become a stand-up comedian”. Fadnavis also said that Congress had become “unemployed” because of Rahul and that he would at least find work if he became a comic performer. The need to come on stage every now and then just to drag Prime Minister Modi ji’s name into cheap political theatre never fails to amaze me,” Goyal said, asking the former Congress president to “look in the mirror”.
