The BJP Wednesday said the Congress leadership was confused about its election campaign and is launching personal attacks against BJP leaders, but crying foul over similar attacks against Congress politicians.
Retorting to Priyanka Vadra's attack on its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi over the allegations of monitoring and snooping of a woman by the Gujarat government, the BJP said the Congress was "confused" about its election campaign and has nothing else to say.
"There was an emotional appeal from Priyanka Vadra that personal matters should not be raised. Today, she also raised personal matters... why can't Congress make up its mind?" BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said.
Priyanka Wednesday raised the Gujarat snooping controversy, saying: "If you want to empower women, then why listen to their private conversations?"
In the Gujarat snoopgate scandal, opposition parties accused Chief Minister Narendra Modi of tracking the movements of a woman and spying on her.
Modi's close aide Amit Shah has been accused of misusing his powers as a Gujarat minister and police machinery for illegal surveillance of the young woman.
Sitharaman said: "The woman in question is not concerned about it, her father appealed that she be left alone... When issue of Robert Vadra's corruption is raised, they say he is a private citizen, why are they intruding in other private citizen's lives?"
The party spokesperson slammed the Congress for being confused about its campaign.
"There is utter confusion in the Congress war room... Rahul Gandhi first said he does not approve of personal attacks, and then launched a personal attack on (Narendra) Modiji's affidavit," she said.
Rahul had raised the issue of Modi mentioning his wife Jashodaben for the first time in his affidavit filed with his nomination papers. The Gandhi scion later said it is not a personal issue.
"Congress is evading answering the real questions," Sitharaman said.
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar, meanwhile, said the Congress is making personal attacks since it has nothing to say.
"They have nothing to offer the people, so they are making personal attacks on Modi," he said.
Taking on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over Ghaziabad candidate Shazia Ilmi's comments urging Muslims to be "communal" and vote for the AAP, Sitharaman said it is copying the Congress.
"This is the pseudo secularism we are talking about. Their mask has fallen off. They are just the B team of the Congress and doing what the Congress was doing all these years," she said.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
