The week-long war of words over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s use of the word “shakti” got a new twist on March 21, with the Wayanad MP saying that his party was fighting a “hate-filled asuri shakti (demonic power)“, a jibe at his political rivals, the BJP.
“Humari ‘asuri shakti’ se ladaai ho rahi hai, nafrat bhari ‘asuri shakti’ (We are fighting a demonic power, hate-filled demonic power),” Mr. Gandhi said, while leaving the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in New Delhi after addressing a press conference.
‘Voters are supreme’
The remarks were sharply countered by the BJP at a later press conference, where party spokesperson Sambit Patra said that it was the democratic exercise of voting rights that had determined “asura” and “Durga Shakti”.
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“The people are supreme and have defeated the asura shakti by pressing the button on the EVM. Please reflect on who espouses Durga Shakti; it is Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi who has built toilets for women or izzat ghars, put money in bank accounts of the poor, built houses for them, and provided tap water to households of the poor,” he said.
‘Modi is most popular global leader’
“The more abuses they hurl at Modi, the more the lotus [the BJP’s poll symbol] will bloom,” said BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad, describing the Prime Minister as the most popular global leader. Citing invitations from both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, asking Mr. Modi to visit their respective countries after the election, Mr. Prasad added that “the entire world knows he is coming back to power”.
On Monday, Mr. Gandhi had said that the Congress was fighting against a ‘shakti (power)‘ at play in the country. His words were strongly countered by the Prime Minister while addressing poll rallies in Telangana and Karnataka; Mr. Modi said that the upcoming Lok Sabha elections will be a fight between destroyers and worshippers of ‘Shakti’.
