Union minister Giriraj Singh takes dig at Bihar CM's 'silence' on Rahul's disqualification from LS
Patna, Mar 26: Union minister Giriraj Singh on Sunday alleged that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's "silence" over the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi indicated that the JD(U) leader was pleased over increased chances of claiming leadership of the opposition camp.
The BJP leader also slammed Gandhi for "my name is not Savarkar" jibe, and asserted that it will take "many lifetimes" for the Congress leader to become like the freedom fighter-turned- Hindutva mascot.
At the Bihar BJP headquarters, the Begusarai MP was responding to queries from reporters on Kumar, his bete noire, keeping "silent" over the development even though top leaders of JD(U), including the national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan, have condemned the disqualification unequivocally.
"He (Kumar) must be chuffed that his chances have become brighter. After all, competing ambitions for the elusive top slot has become the defining trait of all parties (opposed to BJP)", said Singh.
He, however, bristled at Gandhi's assertion that he would not seek an apology for defamatory remarks that led to his conviction by a Gujarat court, with the remark "my name is not Savarkar".
The allusion was to petition for clemency of V D Savarkar, while he was lodged in jail, to the British imperialists, which has become a stick to beat the BJP with for its opponents.
"It will take many lifetimes for Rahul Gandhi to become like Savarkar", fumed Singh, charging the Congress leader with behaving like an Emperor (shahenshah) who had no respect for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"My name is not Savarkar, my name is Gandhi and Gandhi does not offer an apology to anyone," Rahul Gandhi had said on Saturday responding to a query on repeated calls by the BJP seeking his apology over various issues.
The former Congress chief made the remarks while addressing a press conference after being disqualified from Lok Sabha.
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Sooryavanshi's century in vain as SRH beat RR by 5 wickets
Jaipur (PTI): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's century went in vain as Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Rajasthan Royals by five wickets in their IPL match here on Saturday.
Sooryavanshi hammered his second hundred in the IPL — a 37-ball 103 — as Rajasthan Royals put on board a strong 228 for six after they were put in to bat first.
Sooryavanshi got plenty of support from Dhruv Jurel, who made a 35-ball 51 and, helped the teenager milk 112 runs for the second wicket. In the death overs, Donovan Ferreira (33) played some big shots as RR went past the 200-run mark.
But, SRH chased down the target of 229 with nine balls to spare, with Ishan Kishan top-scoring with a 74 off 31 balls. Abhishek Sharma chipped in with 57 off 29 deliveries as SRH reached 229 for 5 in 18.3 overs.
Brief Scores:
Rajasthan Royals: 228/6 in 20 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 103, Dhruv Jurel 51; Pat Cummins 1/27, Eshan Malinga 2/38).
Sunrisers Hydearabad: 229 for 5 in 18.3 overs (Ishan Kishan 74, Abhishek Sharma 57; Jofra Archer 2/34, Brijesh Sharma 2/44).
