Rahul Gandhi does only photo-ops, PM Modi works: BJP

New Delhi, Feb 10: BJP today hit back at Rahul Gandhi for his attack on Narendra Modi, saying while the Congress leader does photo-ops, the Prime Minister believes in doing work, and accused his family of "sowing the first seeds" of 'divide and rule' in the country.

BJP questioned Rahul over his 'double-speak' in criticising the Left in Kerala and "seeking to align" with them in West Bengal and warned that teaming with one "whose expiry date is over can become poisonous".

"We don't believe in photo-ops. You may be happy doing photo-ops but our Prime Minister believes in doing work. When you talk of helping the poor, it is not done through photo-ops and by eating food with them but through schemes aimed at their welfare and safeguarding their lives and crops, which you never thought of," BJP national secretary Siddharth Nath Singh told reporters.

He criticised Rahul for not speaking out against corruption during his visit to Kerala and asked him why he was silent and had 'selective amnesia' when he visited states governed by Congress.

Sharpening his attack on Modi, Rahul Gandhi today accused the Prime Minister of being "superficial" and also of undertaking a "poisonous" campaign along with RSS with the main aim of "dividing" Hindus and Muslims during polls.

Addressing party workers in Kerala, the Congress vice president slammed the Centre, charging it with being against farmers, labourers, students and the poor. He also described the Left Front's ideology as "obsolete".

Referring to Rahul's attack on RSS and BJP, he said, "In independent India, the first seeds of divide and rule were sown by your ancestors."

"Nehru sowed the seeds of appeasement and the state of Jammu and Kashmir is still suffering...the seeds sown by your father also, the country is watching... the seeds of dividing rich and poor and caste seeds... the votebank politics and casteist politics are because of your family," he said.

Shah Bano case in the Supreme Court and how Rajiv Gandhi turned it around and when Congress faced a backlash, "Ayodhya gates were thrown open to get majority votes".

On Rahul's criticism of the Left, BJP asked why he was "trying to align" with them in West Bengal.

"You have said that the ideology the Communists believe in is obsolete. If they are obsolete, why in Bengal do you want to align with them?" he said and added "when you ally with one whose expiry date is over, it becomes poisonous."

Singh also raked up the issue of alleged corruption in Kerala by the Oommen Chandy government, saying the Chief Minister has done massive corruption and a case is registered after a judicial probe in which the main accused is the chief minister himself.

"Why are you silent on corruption? Why you have selective amnesia when you visit states governed by Congress?" he asked Rahul.

PTI