NEW DELHI: Congress general secretary KC Venugopal on Friday responded sharply to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s jibe at the INDIA bloc, which came during the inauguration of the Vizhinjam International Seaport in Thiruvananthapuram.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi had referred the presence of Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor at the same public event and said that it would “disturb the sleep” of many in the opposition alliance.
Countering the statement, Venugopal told reporters, “We will sleep peacefully, but it is going to be difficult for the PM to sleep.”
He added that the INDIA bloc will ramp up pressure on the central government to act on the recently approved caste census, particularly in increasing the reservation cap beyond 50 per cent.
“We won’t allow PM and his cabinet to continue this, as with the Women’s Reservation Bill. We will put maximum pressure, especially on increasing the cap of 50 per cent,” he said.
“I don’t know on what grounds PM is saying like this. The PM will be the one who will be having sleepless nights, not the INDIA alliance, Rahul Gandhi or Congress. We are going to put maximum pressure on him on the issue of the caste census,” Venugopal further added.
PM Modi, speaking during the seaport event, had said, “I want to tell chief minister (Pinarayi Vijayan), you are a strong pillar of INDI alliance, Shashi Tharoor is also sitting here. Today’s event is going to disturb the sleep of many.”
Although the translator struggled to convey the exact sentiment in Malayalam, PM Modi said, “The message has gone wherever it has to go.”
Meanwhile, speculation around Shashi Tharoor’s political future is gaining momentum, fuelled by his recent public interactions with BJP leaders and cryptic posts on social media in recent past. These developments have cast a shadow over his over 15-years of association with the Congress party.
The Prime Minister’s comment came just days after the Centre decided to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census. The announcement was made by information and broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on April 30, following a Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs meeting.
