Jaitley slams Rahul Gandhi for ‘hallucinating’ after an ‘embarrassing performance’

Sanjeev Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 21

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday targeted Congress President Rahul Gandhi for his speech in the no-confidence motion against the Modi government saying god help the Congress if this is Gandhi’s best argument for the 2019 elections.

In a Facebook post titled, ‘Frivolity and No Confidence Motion’, Jaitley launched a scathing attack on Rahul accusing him of “ignorance, falsehood and acrobatics” in his Lok Sabha speech and hugging Prime Minister Narendra Modi after that.

“If a participant happens to be the president of a national political party nourishing prime ministerial aspirations, every word he speaks should be precious. His facts should convey credibility. Facts are always sacrosanct. None should ever trivialise the debate. Those who desire to be prime minister never blend ignorance, falsehood and acrobatics,” Jaitley said.

Jaitley went on to say that if this is Rahul’s best argument for the 2019 elections then god help the Congress.

“Regrettably, the President of the Congress Party missed a great opportunity. If this was his best argument for 2019, God help his party,” he said.

Jaitley said Gandhi’s lack of understanding is not only confined to basic issues but also to the niceties of protocol. “One should never misquote a conversation with a Head of Government or a Head of State. You do it once, serious people will be reluctant to speak to you or speak in your presence. Rahul Gandhi, by concocting a conversation with President Macron, has lowered his own credibility and seriously hurt the image of an Indian politician before the world at large,” he said.

Jaitley was alluding to Gandhi’s charge during his speech on Friday that French President Macron had said that there was no secrecy clause in the Rafale aircraft deal.

Jaitley said the Congress President seemed unaware of public issues. “Is he unaware of the fact that the UPA-proposed GST amendment to the Constitution never included petroleum products as part of the GST? It is only the NDA which brought it within the GST with tax to be levied once agreed by the GST Council. He seems unaware of public issues when he equates declaration of accounts as NPA as a loan waiver,” Jaitley said.

Accusing Gandhi of “hallucinating” after an “embarrassing performance”, Jaitley said it is a serious problem.

“Therefore, to hallucinate after an embarrassing performance that he has won future election or to hallucinate that he is the reincarnation of Mark Antony being complimented by friends and foes alike, may give him self-satisfaction but for serious observers it is more than just self-praise–in fact a serious problem,” Jaitley said.