Rajkot--Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly, Shankersinh Vaghela took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday for latter’s remark during his recent China tour that Indians were ashamed of having been born in India, by saying that even Kauravas and Pandvas had joined forces when the family was faced with common challenge.
Borrowing from Modi’s sadabhavana (goodwill or no ill feeling) campaign of 2011-12, Vaghela said, “One should understand the true meaning of term sadabhavana. But our incumbent Prime Minister goes abroad and abuses his own country on foreign soil. This should not happen. Congress or whatever other party (you may belong to). While abroad, you are a symbol of our country,” Vaghela said while referring to Modi’s remarks during latter’s visit to China early this week.
The Congress legislature party leader was speaking at an event in Rajkot organised by the party to pay tribute to late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 24th death anniversary. The PM, while addressing Indian diaspora in Shanghai on Saturday, had said that Indians had regretted being born Indians. However, Vaghela, a former chief minister of Gujarat and former union minister, said politics should be kept within boundaries of the country.
“You can play an opposition party in Delhi. But you cannot behave like an opposition party in Germany, Korea or China. Even in Mahabharata, Kauravas and Pandvas were at loggerheads and that was why the battle of Mahabharata was fought. But when they were faced with a common enemy, Kauravas and Pandvas joined forces. So when the situation warrants, we should demonstrate that we are united,” Vaghela elaborated by quoting from the epic.
Incidentally, Modi had faced backlash on social media after his comments in Shanghai during his three-nation tour of China, Mongolia and South Korea which concluded on Tuesday.
Indian Express
