'Does PM take us for a bunch of idiots with large memory loss?'

Chidambaram also accused the Election Commission of being a "silent spectator" to the "excesses" of BJP and utterances of Modi. File pic

New Delhi: Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his stance on caste and his "origins as a chaiwala", senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday asked if the PM considers people a "bunch of idiots" who have suffered memory loss.

The former finance minister's scathing attack on the Prime Minister came a day after Modi said in Kannauj that he does not believe in politics of caste. "Mr Narendra Modi is the first person who became PM later who campaigned wearing his caste on his sleeve (2014): 'I am an OBC'. Now, he says he has no caste!" Chidambaram tweeted. "In 2014 and thereafter, he said repeatedly that he is proud that the people elected a chaiwala as PM. Now he says, he never mentioned his origins as a chaiwala!

"What does the PM take us for? A bunch of idiots who have large memory losses?" he asked. Chidambaram also accused the Election Commission of being "silent spectator" to the "excesses" of BJP and to the utterances of Modi, saying the poll body has "largely failed" the people of India. The Congress has said it has given 37 representations to the EC of which 10 can be categorised under "hate speeches, virulent, divisive, polarising" by Modi and BJP President Amit Shah.

'PM Modi upper caste by birth'
Patna: Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav rebuffed PM Modi's assertion of belonging to an "ati-pichhda" (most backward) caste, insisting that he saw this coming from him a week ago. Yadav, tweeted Sunday, "I had said on April 20 (2019) said that @narendramodi ji, after portraying himself as fake OBC, will call himself a person belonging to extremely backward caste. He did so yesterday (in the Kannauj rally). "The fact is that he is an upper caste (person) by birth and backward on papers. He (PM) will say so many things just to fetch votes."

Priyanka slams Irani on nationalism
Amethi: Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh (East) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday slammed Union Minister Smriti Irani for distributing shoes to people of Amethi saying nationalism is to solve problems of people instead of suppressing their issues. Irani had distributed shoes in some villages after she saw villagers walking barefoot."Issues are clear; they are - employment, education, women safety and health. Nationalism is to solve problems of people. Here they do not listen to people, when they raise their issues they suppress them, it is neither democracy nor nationalism," Priyanka said.

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