Rankled by defeats, Rahul Gandhi making frivolous attack on PM Narendra Modi: Ravi Shankar Prasad

NEW DELHI: Attributing Rahul Gandhi's TRP remark against the Prime Minister to his "trepidation" over Congress' successive electoral defeats, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today asked whether it behove the top leader of the party and a member of Gandhi family to use such "frivolous" language.

"Rahul Gandhi is now the top leader of his party. Does it behove him to say such frivolous things? The family he comes from...does it behove him to use words?" Prasad asked.

The Law and IT Minister said Gandhi's made the remarks "out of frustration" and due to be "trepidation" as the country is heading towards "honesty" after witnessing scams during previous UPA regime.

"...I am aware, Gandhi is frustrated. Because, people are defeating his party again and again and that's what is rankling him... (on the other hand) Narendra Modi lives in people's heart because of his work, honesty and sacrifice made for poor," he told reporters in Parliament premise.

In an apparent reference to demonetization, Prasad said India is heading towards "honesty" and its image is shining in the world under Modi regime.

Addressing Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) meeting earlier in the day, Gandhi described the Prime Minister as being "a prisoner of his own image" and one who is inflicting "tremendous suffering" on the people of India to protect his own persona.

Gandhi also accused Modi of practising TRP politics and said the country has suffered damage due to his "vanity and incompetence".