Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The BJP on Tuesday sought to take credit for US President Barack Obama’s visit to Delhi and looked to sell it as a mark of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ability to increase India’s prestige globally.
Speaking at a rally in Krishna Nagar, BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi said, “Today, Obama has come and all of India is flying. Modi has done a lot of work, else Obama would not have come just like that.”
Lauding the Centre’s diplomatic efforts to bolster India’s image internationally, Bedi said, “India now looks like the number one country in the world.”
Candidate from West Delhi’s Tilak Nagar, Rajiv Babbar, went a step further and uploaded a poster Facebook, featuring images of Bedi, Modi and Obama and him on Republic Day. However, it was taken down hours later.
Refuting claims that the poster was used for campaigning, Babbar said, “I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Republic Day. No one in the BJP needs Obama’s face for campaigning when we have Narendra Modi as our PM and Kiran Bedi as the Delhi CM face.”
Asked why the post was removed, Babbar said, “We keep updating the Facebook page.”
However, he stressed that it was an “undisputed” fact that the “Obama’s visit is an achievement of Modi and the BJP leadership”. If people wanted to give the BJP government credit for it, there was nothing wrong with that, he said.
Bedi’s and Babbar’s comments drew heavy criticism from the AAP. “The casual manner in which these remarks have been made — be it about Kejriwal joining the BJP for a Republic Day invite or today’s comment on Obama’s visit — shows political immaturity,” AAP leader Yogendra Yadav said.
Another leader, Ashish Khetan, said, “Obama’s visit was planned just ahead of the polls. The Republic Day parade with Bedi’s presence was used as a political tool.”
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
