Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi has said she has had virtually no direct interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his tenure, alleging that he tends to avoid eye contact whenever they come face-to-face.
In her memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, which was released on Tuesday, Gandhi said their interactions were largely limited to formal greetings at semi-official gatherings, including meetings in the Speaker's chamber after Parliament sessions.
"To this day, I have had practically no real contact with him," Gandhi wrote, according to a report by NDTV, adding that they exchange a formal namaste whenever they meet.
She claimed that Modi tends to look away and avoid eye contact, contrasting his behaviour with the cordial relations opposition leaders shared with prime ministers in the past.
Gandhi said the two had never really conversed, although they had exchanged formal birthday and New Year greetings over the years. She recalled that Modi had occasionally enquired about her health when she returned after hospital visits.
Reflecting on their ideological differences, Gandhi said Modi was fighting for his vision of India, while she stood for an India based on inclusiveness, secularism and social justice.
She also attributed Modi's political worldview to the influence of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), alleging that it promoted an exclusionary understanding of Hinduism.
Gandhi further criticised Modi's remarks against former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, saying the BJP and Sangh Parivar had consistently targeted India's first prime minister.
She also acknowledged that Modi had risen within the RSS from an underprivileged background, while questioning whether his origins were as humble as portrayed by his public relations machinery.
Comments (0)