The Congress will be decimated after the 2024 Lok Sabha election because of the “quality of its leadership”, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday.
Addressing an election rally in Nagaland’s Mon, Mr. Shah attributed the twisting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name by a Congress spokesperson to Rahul Gandhi’s “nature”.
The Congress, contesting 25 of Nagaland’s 60 seats, is not considered to be strong in the State anymore after being wiped out in the 2018 Assembly election.
Referring to Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera’s “insult” by calling the Prime Minister ‘Narendra Gautam Das Modi’, Mr. Shah said the statement was “in line with” Mr. Gandhi’s “character”.
But using “abusive language” cost Mr. Gandhi and the Congress the status of Opposition in Parliament, he said, reminding the people of the insult the Congress leader had heaped on Mr. Modi.
At this rate, the Congress would soon become a party difficult to spot even through a telescope, he added.
Mr. Shah, on a two-day trip to Nagaland and Meghalaya, also said the Centre accorded top priority to settling the Naga political problem soon.
A solution has eluded the Naga peace process for more than 25 years despite the signing of agreements with two sets of extremist groups.
Mr. Shah expressed confidence that the BJP-Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party combine would form the government after the February 27 election.
