PM Modi on Tuesday challenged Congress president Rahul Gandhi to speak for 15 minutes, without referring to notes, in any language including his "mother's mother tongue".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s challenge to Congress president Rahul Gandhi hasn’t gone unnoticed. Picking up from where the Prime Minister had left off on Tuesday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah threw a counter-challenge by asking him to speak for 15 minutes about the achievements of the erstwhile B S Yeddyurappa government — by looking at a paper. “Dear PM @narendramodi ji, I challenge you to speak about the achievements of B S Yeddyurappa’s Govt in Karnataka for 15 minutes by looking at a paper. Sincerely Siddaramaiah,” Siddaramaiah tweeted.
Addressing a BJP election rally in Santhemarahalli in Chamarajanagar district, PM Modi on Tuesday challenged the Congress president to speak for 15 minutes, without referring to notes, and in any language including his “mother’s mother tongue”. “The Congress president recently challenged me saying that if he speaks for 15 minutes in Parliament, I will not be able to sit. Him talking for 15 minutes is a big thing and I wonder what a scene it would be. It is true we will not be able to sit when he talks that is because he is naamdaar (a dynast) and we are kaamdaar (ordinary workers). What right do we workers have to sit in front of you? We cannot even wear good clothes. These things do not hurt us because we have been subjugated for years. Forget about me.
During this election in Karnataka pick a language of your choice – it can be Hindi or Kannada or even your mother’s mother tongue and then for 15 minutes without holding papers in your hand list out the achievements of your government in Karnataka over the last five years. Let him do this for 15 minutes before the people of Karnataka,” he said.
Gandhi had earlier dared PM Modi to allow him to speak in Parliament. He claimed the prime minister wouldn’t be able to through his speech for even 15 minutes.