Modi is 'poisonous tea seller', says JD(U)

Hours after Narendra Modi addressed his party executive here, Congress and JD(U) today attacked the BJP leader in unison, with the latter saying a "poisonous tea selling" person should not become prime minister.

JD(U) leader K C Tyagi said that a "poisonous tea selling" person should not become a prime minister and Modi had sold such a tea through Gujarat.

While Union minister Manish Tewari, reacting after Modi addressed his party executive at Ram Leela ground, said that BJP only gives prime ministerial candidates while Congress gives strong Prime Minister to the country.

"BJP only gives prime ministerial candidate while the Congress gives strong PM to the country. During the last two general elections, there were only candidates who came forward from BJP, the PM came from Congress and UPA only," Tewari told reporters in Ludhiana.

Tewari said he was confident that Congress will yet again get blessings of the people in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls and give the country a strong Prime Minister.

"In 2014 if we get the blessings of the people, which we trust we will get, Congress and UPA will give a strong Prime Minister to the country," Tewari said.

"A tea boy can become a PM, but a man selling poisonous tea should not become one. Narendra Modi through Gujarat has sold poisonous tea to the country. Persons selling tea are good people, persons selling poisonous tea are bad people," Tyagi said reacting to the speech of Modi.

Modi today launched a sharp attack on Congress, saying it had desisted from projecting Rahul Gandhi as its Prime Ministerial candidate as Sonia Gandhi did not want to "sacrifice" her son politically in view of the "imminent defeat".

The BJP's prime ministerial candidate also responded to the Congress' "chai wala" jibe at him, saying all the tea vendors were today proud that one among them was contesting for the top post.

Addressing the party's National Council here, he targeted Rahul without naming him as he said that "those born in an aristocratic family" feel below their dignity to contest against a tea vendor coming from a backward as they have "feudal mindset".