A tea seller can become PM, but not a 'poisonous' one: JDU

Criticising Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for his controversial jibe on Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, the Janata Dal United (JD-U) on Sunday said a tea seller can be the prime minister but not someone who spreads poison.

"I condemned the thinking of the Congress and Mani Shankar Aiyar. I think a tea seller can be the PM but a poisonous tea seller cannot be the PM," said JD-U leader K.C.Tyagi.

Reacting to Modi's speech at the BJP National Council meet, Tyagi said, "Modi has a habit of over talking. He wants to confuse people. There are some serious issues in front us right now. Corruption is most serious concern followed by secularism. They want to divert the attention of the people from the misdeeds they committed in Gujarat."

Quoting examples of former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Tyagi said, "There have many prime ministers who were empowered. By saying that there is an absence of strong leaders, it is disrespecting to those leaders who were empowered and strong in leading the country."

He further added, "As far as the issue of black money is concerned, we were a part of the NDA for six years and they did not take any concrete measures to bring back that money."

Rajya Sabha MP Mohd Adeeb said, "Narendra Modi is a leader of a political party and is a candidate for the PM post but India is an idea whose foundation was laid by the Gandhi. No matter how much effort the BJP or the RSS puts in, they will never succeed in changing that idea."

On the Congress's decision not to anoint Rahul as prime ministerial candidate, "The BJP is not able to understand this, but, Sonia Gandhi has made Rahul Gandhi the captain of the Congress team. After the elections, all the secular forces of the country will decide who will be the prime minister of the country. I think Congress has taken the right decision."

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Saugata Roy said, "I have nothing to say on this spat between the BJP and the Congress. It is apparent that the people of the country are quite fed up with both parties. They vote for an alternative when they get a chance."

"The TMC is equidistance from both parties, and we are quite sure that a third alternative, apart from the BJP and the Congress, will emerge. So these parties say about each other should not be the concern of the people. Their main concern should be food, clothing and shelter," he added.

Earlier today, Modi attacked the Congress Party for not declaring their PM nominee at their AICC meet on Friday, saying that the announcement was withheld because the Congress could visualize their defeat in the upcoming elections.

He further hit out at UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi for calling it a Congress tradition of not disclosing their PM candidate.

"Did a Parliamentary panel choose Rajiv Gandhi as Prime Minister? And here you are telling us about traditions. Parliamentary Committee of Congress did not choose Dr. Manmohan Singh as PM, it chose Soniaji as their PM. but Ms Gandhi nominated Dr Singh," he said.

Modi also took a jibe at Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, and said that Congress workers came to hear the name of their Prime Ministerial candidate, but went home with three cylinders.

The meet was attended by several top leaders of the BJP including L K Advani, party president Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley.