‘Chaiwala like Modi could become PM because Congress preserved democracy’: Mallikarjun Kharge

In his attempt to attack the BJP, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge called PM Narendra Modi "chaiwala".

Mumbai, July 9: In his attempt to silence the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for constantly attacking the Congress for allegedly not doing anything in the last 70 years, All India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra Mallikarjun Kharge attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the controversial "chaiwala (tea seller)" remark.

"PM Modi has been asking at every function about what the Congress has done for the country in the last 70 years. A chaiwala like him could become the PM because we preserved democracy," said senior Congress leader Kharge at a function in Mumbai on Sunday.

Kharge added, "Modi speaks about the Emergency that happened 43 years back, but what about the undeclared Emergency in last 4 years? Farmers are committing suicide, agricultural schemes are failing, farmers aren't getting new loans and trade is on slow track."

Last week, PM Modi at an event in Jaipur, Rajasthan called the Congress "bail gadi" because many of its senior leaders are out on bail in various cases.

The chaiwala remark of Kharge might prove costly for the Congress again as it had in several previous occasions.

Unlike, many who generally try to hide their past if it's not that pleasant and full of struggles, Modi is quite open about his journey from being a "tea seller (chaiwala)" to the country's PM. Modi has spoken about the hardship he and his family endured on several occasions, both within and outside the country.

This is not the first time when the Congress committed "political suicide" by deriding Modi and his "chaiwala" background. Who can forget the infamous episode when senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar called Modi a "chaiwala" at a huge party gathering ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections?

"Narendra Modi will never become the Prime Minister of the country... But if he wants to distribute tea here, we will find a place for him," Aiyar said trying to belittle Modi as a tea seller.

Last year, the Indian Youth Congress took a dig at the BJP by tweeting a "chaiwala" meme about PM Modi. The "crass, classist and anti-poor" meme backfired as the Congress lost the Gujarat Assembly elections last year.