PM Modi has failed, says Shehzad Poonawalla. There is a dictatorship angle
BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla on Saturday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's critics, saying the Prime Minister had "failed" to become a dictator
BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla on Saturday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's critics, saying the Prime Minister had "failed" to become a dictator, and contrasted PM Modi's response to the recent NEET protest controversy with what he called the Congress's and opposition-ruled states' record on dissent. In a video posted on X, Poonawalla said he was "totally disappointed" with PM Modi, adding sarcastically, "Twelve years have passed, and he is a failure. He doesn't even know how to become a proper dictator." Read Full Story The remark came a day after Prime Minister Modi released a video message urging people to forgive the students who had allegedly used abusive language against him and his late mother during the NEET protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. Instead of behaving like a dictator, Poonawalla said, PM Modi had appealed to society, the police and everyone else to forgive the students. "Last night he released a video and, regarding the children who used abusive language against constitutional authorities and his late mother, he said, 'They are mischievous children, forgive them.' He appealed to society, to the police and to everyone to forgive them," Poonawalla said.
The BJP leader then targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying, "Rahul Gandhi is a descendant of Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Learn from them what a real dictatorship is, what a real Emergency is, Modi ji." He alleged that while the Modi government had withdrawn cases against student protesters after accepting their demands, Congress governments were registering cases over social media posts and protests. Referring to recent incidents, Poonawalla claimed that cases had been registered in Kerala against Instagram users for allegedly insulting Rahul Gandhi. He also referred to police action in Karnataka over a poster and against a rap artist. Poonawalla went on to invoke the Congress's political history, alleging that it was Jawaharlal Nehru who curtailed freedom of speech and that Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency, jailed opposition leaders and suppressed dissent. He also referred to the Assam movement, the Navnirman movement and the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption agitation, alleging that thousands of protesters had been jailed during those periods. Addressing PM Modi again, Poonawalla said, "Today, the children are using abusive language and you're saying, 'They are kids, mistakes happen.
We should help them get to the right path.' But Rahul ji, like a real dictator, is getting cases filed over an Instagram post." He ended his remarks with another jibe at the Prime Minister's critics: "Modi ji, it has been 12 years. You are unable to become a dictator. You have dashed the hopes of all these Left liberals. You have failed." PM'S APPEAL TO FORGIVE STUDENTS In a late-night video on Friday, Prime Minister Modi said it pained him that even his late mother had been subjected to "filthy abuses" during the NEET protests, but urged society not to punish the students. Calling them "misguided children", Modi appealed to people to forgive them and help them "learn from their mistakes". "The children are ours. It is our responsibility to show them the correct path," the Prime Minister said, adding that dragging them to court or publicly shaming them would not solve the problem. The remarks came days after the 36-day agitation led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) ended following the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the government's acceptance of the protesters' key demands.
The BriefWire