Rahul Gandhi uttered 'white lie': Ravi Shankar Prasad

Accusing Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi of "insulting the most popular mandate" by terming the BJP-led NDA government as "anti-people", the BJP on Sunday said the Congress leader uttered a "white lie" while addressing a rally at Ramlia Maidan here.

Addressing a press conference after the Congress's Kissan-Khet Majdoor rally, BJP senior leader and union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said: "Rahul Gandhi needs to understand that India is no monarchy and the popular choice is the BJP."

Responding to Gandhi's charges against the central government allegedly making changes in the Land Acquisition Act of 2013, the BJP leader asked "why is Rahul Gandhi stating a white lie by saying that amendments have been been done to favour industrialists".

"The amendments have been done to favour the farmers," he said adding that Rahul Gandhi spoke a lot about the Gujarat model but "we want to ask Sonia and Rahul as to what is the Vadra model of development and land acquisition".

"Don't you need land for canals and for Indira Awas Yojna... and if the UPA's land act was perfect, why was it being opposed by their own chief ministers," Prasad asked.

"Why had Congress chief ministers opposed their own land act," he asked, adding that the prime minister had made clear that first government land would be acquired. "Why such a lie," he wondered.

"Rahul Gandhi should apologise for insulting the most popular mandate. We condemn this brazen contempt against the popular mandate," said the BJP leader.

On Gandhi's remark that Modi, while in Canada, had insulted the country by saying that he was clearing the mess of the past fifty years, Prasad said: "Did the 2G scam, coal scam not happen during the Congress regime?"

Prasad also took a dig at Rahul Gandhi's going on leave, saying that someone (Modi) goes abroad to raise the prestige of the country while others (Rahul) to contemplate.