Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, August 11, hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his ‘black magic’ remark, saying he must ‘stop lowering the dignity’ of the Prime Minister’s post by talking about such superstitious things.
Gandhi asked if the prime minister was unable to see inflation or unemployment in the country. "Stop lowering the dignity of the prime minister's post and misleading the country by talking about superstitious things like 'black magic' to hide your black deeds, prime minister-ji," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi. "You will have to give answers on people's issues," the former Congress chief added.
Rahul Gandhi's response came a day after PM Modi lashed out at the Congress for wearing black dresses on August 5 in protest against price rise, saying those who believe in ‘kala jadu’ (black magic) will never be able to win the trust of the people again.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram also criticised PM Modi for his comments on Twitter. "The PM said that those who wear black clothes will never gain public trust. EVR Periyar wore a black shirt all his life and earned the eternal trust of the people of Tamil Nadu (except those who believed in Sanatana Dharma)," he tweeted.
PM said that those who wear black clothes will never gain public trust
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) August 11, 2022
E V R Periyar wore a black shirt all his life and earned the eternal trust of the people of Tamil Nadu (except those who believed in Sanatana Dharma)
"But they do not know that by engaging in witchcraft, black magic and superstition, they cannot earn the trust of people again," Chidambaram added.
Addressing a function in Panipat via video-conferencing to dedicate the second-generation ethanol plant worth Rs 900 crore, the PM said, "On August 5, we saw how some people tried to spread 'black magic'. These people think that by wearing black clothes they can end their despondency."
The prime minister also attacked certain opposition parties for engaging in the politics of freebies, saying such things would only do a disservice to the nation as it hampers investment in new technology. He said that if there is selfishness in politics, then anybody can even promise free petrol and diesel.