Opposition hits out at Narendra Modi's 'sarab' jibe

A BJP supporter waves the party flag during Modiu00c3u00a2u00c2u0080u00c2u0099s Vijay Sankalp rally in Meerut, on Thursday. Pic/PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi used a wordplay to attack the Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Lok Dal and Bahujan Samaj Party alliance, saying the first letters of the three parties spell 'sarab', prompting a furious reaction from the Opposition at the comparison with alcohol.

Terming the SP-RLD-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh 'mahamilavat', Modi compared the Opposition parties to 'sarab' - the Hindi word for liquor is 'sharab'. "The first letters of these three parties stand for 'sarab', which is bad for health," Modi said while launching BJP's rally from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. While the Congress asked Modi to apologise for comparing the parties to liquor, SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav accused him of spreading the "intoxication of hatred", saying he didn't know the difference between 'sharab' and 'sarab' (mirage).

Alleging that Modi had lowered political discourse, Congress' Chief Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "You should apologise to the country as you have insulted the poor by comparing opposition political parties to liquor." "Sarab means mirage, which is a blurred dream which the BJP is showing for the past five years but never fulfilled. It is once against showing sarab to people during elections," Akhilesh said in a tweet.

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