Rahul’s dynasty remark backfires

Hyderabad/New Delhi, June 2: Rahul Gandhi’s salvo targeting Telangana chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao over dynastic politics has ricocheted back, with TRS leader K.T. Rama Rao calling it “joke of the millennium”.

“Some so called ‘national leaders’ of ‘national’ parties who can’t even win an election in their own backyard, make tall claims elsewhere ???? . Indian Notional (sic) Congress leadership talking of ‘family rule’ has to be the joke of the millennium. Classic comedy ???? ,” Rao, son of the chief minister, wrote on Twitter.

The Congress vice-president was in Sangareddy in Telangana on Thursday where he attacked the chief minister, accusing him of taking care of only his own family.

Without naming Rao’s son K.T. Rama Rao, a minister in his government, daughter and Lok Sabha member K. Kavitha, and nephew Harish Rao, also a minister, Mr Gandhi had asked if students and farmers fought for the creation of Telangana for a “single family”.

“Has the state been created just for four people,” Mr Gandhi said, and alleged that the chief minister was not taking along with him students, youth, women and backward classes.

In New Delhi, apparently apprehensive of the possibility of questions being asked about Mr Gandhi’s remarks against dynastic politics, some Congress leaders at the party’s briefing were overheard talking about the likely posers from the media.

Union Minister Smriti Irani quickly latched on to it and posted on Twitter: “Comedy of errors? Dynasty ke statement par dynasty ke supporter kya bolein iss par gehen calculation.”

— PTI