BJP’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Ravi Shankar Prasad, dubbed the “emotional” speeches of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi as unfortunate.

“It’s been almost 30 years since former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi died and I sincerely hope that Rahul’s mother (Sonia Gandhi) regains her health. But if he (Rahul) has only these things to tell people, I presume he has nothing to say about the performance of his government in the past 10 years,” Prasad told reporters in Patna on Wednesday.

In a speech in Rajasthan on Wednesday, Rahul said: “They killed my grandmother, my father and one day they may kill me also. But I don’t care.” In an earlier speech, the Congress vice-president had said his mother Sonia Gandhi was ill when the food security bill was passed.

Prasad added that such emotional speeches of Rahul would not have any impact on the people, “especially the youth”. “The people in general and the youth in particular think about the future,” he said.

However, reacting to Prasad’s statement, the chief spokesperson of the state Congress, Prem Chandra Mishra, said Rahul’s intention was not to emotionally exploit people.

“It is a truth that the Congress has made sacrifices for the country several times. On the other hand, the parties that project themselves as an alternative to the Congress have made no sacrifices for the country during pre- and post-Independence. They have exploited the caste and religious sentiments of the people. Rahulji has just cautioned the people not to lose faith in the party so that people cannot exploit them.”

Prasad also took digs at chief minister Nitish Kumar.

Alleging that Nitish had remained silent on issues like price rise and corruption at the Centre, Prasad asked: “Has he made a compromise with the Congress?”

Prasad jeered at Nitish by saying that his janata durbars have become a rajdurbar (a court full of sycophants).

“Why has Nitish not ventured outside Patna after the alliance with the BJP split? Nitish knows that the people will not forgive him for breaking the alliance. Our Hunkar Rally will not be like any other rally held in Bihar as Nitish described it (earlier). It is going to be the biggest rally ever held in Bihar. One can see a profound change in the political landscape of the state,” he said.