Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said a panauti was responsible for India’s World Cup defeat in the final. Even though the Congress MP from Wayanad did not name anyone, the BJP reacted angrily saying that Gandhi was referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing an election rally, Gandhi said, “Yaad hai? Panauti, panauti!” The crowd responded to Gandhi’s comments with loud cheers and laughter.
Gandhi continued, “Our boys would have won the World Cup without much fuss. But the panauti made sure we lost. People from the TV (media) wouldn’t say this, but people know the truth.”
Panauti is a Hindi word to refer to a person whose presence is always responsible for causing bad luck.
पनौती 😉 pic.twitter.com/kVTgt0ZCTs
— Congress (@INCIndia) November 21, 2023
Reacting to Gandhi’s panauti jibe, BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi said, “”Language is the reflection of a person’s values and culture. People on public platforms need to look after some things… Such language should not be used on a public platform and that too for the PM of the country. The person who is using such language is shameless…
#WATCH | Delhi: On Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s statement on PM Modi, Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi says, “Language is the reflection of a person’s values and culture. People on public platforms need to look after some things… Such language should not be used on a public… pic.twitter.com/TT2WWw17XS
— ANI (@ANI) November 21, 2023
“He has been scolded by the Supreme Court. His parliament membership had been cancelled… He is only showing away the absence of the brain. You cannot impress anyone with such language. This is not an insult to the PM, this is Rahul Gandhi’s representation…”
India had lost the final to Australia by six wickets despite being the only undefeated side in the competition. Many on social media had termed the presence of Modi and Amit Shah whose son Jay Shah runs the cricket board the reason for India’s defeat.