'Nobody will be able to touch even a hair of PM': Smriti Irani on Lalu Yadav's 'parivaar' jibe

India's Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani, speaking at a gathering on Monday (Mar 4), strongly reacted to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Yadav's dig at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's family.

Yadav had said that PM Modi "has no family and is neither a Hindu". Attacking Yadav and the opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc over the comment, Irani said that India's 1.4 billion people are Prime Minister Modi's family and no one can dare to touch even a hair of such a man, whom she referred to as the “Pradhan Sevak”.

The minister was speaking at the 'Namo Yuva Maha Sammelan', which was organised by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in Nagpur city of Maharashtra.

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Irani said that not only 1.4 billion Indians, but the country's youth and party workers are “Modi's parivaar" (family).

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"...By being 'pradhan sevak', he (PM Modi) worked for the family 'India'...The fodder thief of INDIA alliance said that he (PM Modi) has no family, I want to tell him that, we are 'Modi's parivaar', these youths are 'Modi's parivaar'...nobody will be able to touch even a hair of that person whose family are 140 crore people of India," Union Minister Irani was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Smriti Irani openly challenges Rahul Gandhi fordebate

Smriti Irani openly challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has been leading the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Manipur to Mumbai, for a debate on the "difference" between 10 years of Narendra Modi-headed union government and the UPA regime.

"If my voice is reaching Rahul Gandhi, then he should listen with open ears. Let there be a discussion on what is the difference between your (UPA) 10 years and Modi's 10 years," Irani said.

Irani further took a dig at Rahul Gandhi saying that if she asked him directly for the debate, he would never come.

The minister said that Gandhi would not even survive in front of BJP's ordinary workers in such a debate.

"I guarantee that even if an ordinary worker of Yuva Morcha starts speaking in front of Rahul Gandhi, he will lose the strength to speak," she said.

Irani's comments came days after Lalu Yadav's comments questioning the Hindu credentials of PM Modi and mocking him for not having a family stirred a controversy.

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“These days he (PM) is talking about dynastic politics. You (PM Modi) don’t have a family... You are not even a Hindu. When one’s mother dies, every Hindu, as per tradition, shaves his beard and head. Why did you not shave? You only spread hatred in society,” said Yadav, at the party’s “Jan Vishwas Maha Rally” in Patna on Sunday (Mar 3).

On Monday (Mar 4), PM Modi attacked the INDIA alliance and said that every poor person in the country is his family member and that he is a family member of those who have no family.

After this, BJP leaders like Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Smriti Irani, and Anurag Thakur, in support of PM Modi, added “Modi ka parivar” (Modi’s family) to their names on social media platforms.

(With inputs from agencies)