Rahul Gandhi's 'atta per litre' gaffe is feast for trolls

Congress Rahul Gandhi has played into the hands of political rivals and online trolls by pricing atta per litre in his speech at a big party rally against price rise.

At the Congress' 'Mehangai Par Halla Bol' rally at the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on Sunday, Gandhi in a slip of tongue said atta, or wheat flour, which was "earlier Rs 22 per litre is now Rs 40 per litre".

The slip-up occurred while he was listing out the prices of oil and grocery items that have beome costlier over the last eight years.


Gandhi listed out petrol, diesel, mustard oil and milk, and he compared their present prices and what they cost in 2014.

In the same flow Gandhi went on to atta and also priced it by the litre, before realising what he'd just said and correcting it to "kg".

For those critical of the Gandhi, it fitted well with their projection of him as a privileged prince far removed from the pains of the common man.

"He doesn't know whether potatoes grow above the ground or under, he doesn't know whether the flour is solid or liquid but speaks on every subject," said BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra.

BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya asked in a tweet "whether Rahul Gandhi's impending Presidency will be measured in kg or litre?"

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju took a dig at Gandhi for purportedly giving out different figures on poverty alleviation on separate occasions. "This happens when you come back to India once in a few months from abroad to fulfil part-time politics," he said in a video.

In his speech at the rally, Gandhi said there is pressure on all institutions including judiciary and media. The government is attacking them, while the media is controlled by a few corporates and not functioning independently, he alleged.

BJP hit back questioning his political maturity and sense of responsibility, and calling his rally 'Rahul Gandhi relaunch 4.0'.

On Twitter, memes spread over measuring atta in litres.