BJP Slams Rahul Gandhi for Blaming PM Modi for World Cup Loss; Calls for Apology

A war of words erupted between Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and BJP Lok Sabha MP Ravi Shankar Prasad after Gandhi indirectly blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India’s loss to Australia in the World Cup Final. Prasad, condemning Gandhi’s remarks, demanded an apology and questioned the usage of such words for the Prime Minister.

“What happened to you, Rahul Gandhi? You are using such words for the Prime Minister of the country. Our Prime Minister met the players and motivated them. Winning or losing is part of the game. Rahul Gandhi needs to apologize,” Prasad asserted during a press conference.

Taking a dig at Gandhi’s family, Prasad advised him to learn from the past, referring to Sonia Gandhi’s use of the term ‘Maut ka saudagar’ (dealer of deaths) for Narendra Modi. “Your mother used derogatory language against Narendra Modi, and look where the Congress is now,” Prasad remarked, emphasizing the need for responsible political discourse.

Rahul Gandhi had earlier made the controversial remarks while addressing a rally in Barmer, claiming that Prime Minister Modi’s presence in the stadium was the reason behind India’s World Cup final loss. “Our guys were playing well, they would have won the world cup. But ‘Panauti’ made us lose. The TV guys won’t tell you this but people know,” Gandhi said during the campaign in Rajasthan on Monday.

The BJP’s call for an apology comes amid the ongoing election season in Rajasthan, where the term of the 200-member Legislative Assembly is set to end on January 14, 2024. With elections scheduled for November 25, political tensions are running high.

The BJP, which won 163 seats in the 2013 Legislative Assembly elections, formed the government in Rajasthan. In the 2018 assembly elections, the Congress won 99 seats, while the BJP secured 73 seats in the 200-member House.

As the political battleground heats up in Rajasthan, the verbal sparring between the Congress and the BJP adds another layer of intensity to the campaign, with the electorate closely watching the exchanges between the two major political players.