Days after joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Gourav Vallabh on Sunday launched an unsparing attack on his former Congress colleagues Jairam Ramesh and P Chidambaram and said the grand old party is being run by personal assistants (PAs) and those who have not even contested for the election of class monitor.
Vallabh, who was once a prominent Congress face on television debates, said the grand old party neither understands the issues of its grassroots workers nor the aspirations of voters.
Jibe At Jairam Ramesh
In a veiled dig at Rajya Sabha MP and Congress general secretory Ramesh, Vallabh said, “The Congress is presently being run by those, who probably never fought elections to be a class monitor. A leader (Jairam Ramesh), who never put himself in the fray to even become a class monitor, has been representing the Congress in the Rajya Sabha for five terms now. He has nothing to do with the ideology of the Congress, he just wants to secure his Rajya Sabha seat. He has no ideological commitment to the party.”
Slams Chidambaram
Picking on Chidambaram without naming him, the BJP leader said the party’s tally in the Lok Sabha would not have dropped between 42 and 52 if his ideas and suggestions had any merit.
“The Congress manifesto has been drafted by the same person (Chidambaram) for the last 30 years. If his ideas had any merit or practical relevance, the Congress’s tally in the Lok Sabha wouldn’t have dropped to between 42 and 52 (seats). When I was in college, he used to defend the party on television as a spokesperson. Even today, he is the in-charge of Communications (in the Congress). He is a PA,” he said.
‘Congress Lacks Direction’
Gourav, who resigned from the Congress, citing the party’s ‘lack of direction’, joined the BJP at its headquarters in the national capital.
He claimed that some people who Congress is giving tickets for the Lok Sabha polls 2024 can’t tell the difference between Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. “Trying asking them and see how they appear confused,” he added.
Vallabh further claimed that the Congress was presently being run by the ‘personal assistants’ of former chief ministers and ministers.
‘Asked To Stop Attacking Industrialists’
He also accused the grand old party of being in conflict with the country’s wealth creators, including industrialist and billionaire investor Gautam Adani.
Vallabh said he urged the Congress high command to stop criticising Gautam Adani, the chairperson of the Adani Group, after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), which had opened a probe against him in connection with certain claims made by US-based short-seller Hindenburg, gave him a clean chit.
“The Congress has made a habit of going at Adani and Ambani (Reliance Industries chairperson Mukesh Ambani) night and day. I did hold a press conference (while with the Congress) in which I made certain references against Adani. However, when SEBI gave Adani a clean chit (in the probe into the Hindenburg claims), I stopped airing any public statements about him. I even advised the Congress leaders to stop criticising him after the clean chit by SEBI. But they kept going at him and continue to do so,” Vallabh said.
Significantly, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, as well as senior party leaders including national president Mallikarjun Kharge, have been severely critical of Adani and Ambani, accusing them of receiving undue favours from the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
‘Declined Ram Mandir Invite’
He disclosed further that he decided not to represent the Congress anymore on television debates or interactions with media persons after the heavyweights in the grand old party turned down an invitation to the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir on January 22, this year.
“From the time I resigned my membership of the Congress, I have been saying (in interviews with media outlets) that I repeatedly told senior leaders in my former party that we cannot remain silent to opposition to ‘Sanatana Dharma’. From the day the Congress turned down the invitation to ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, I decided against representing the Congress on television shows and debates anymore. I told all senior leaders that we need to stop criticising our wealth creators, who work hard to build their wealth while also contributing to nation-building,” the BJP leader said.
(With ANI Inputs)
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