Grow up ‘baby’ Rahul, says VS

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The Kerala Chief Minister, Mr V.S. Achutha-nandan, on Sunday hit back at the AICC general secretary, Mr Rahul Gandhi, calling him an ‘Amul Baby’.

Mr Gandhi had jested the other day that if the left democratic front was voted back to power, Kerala would have a 93-year-old Chief Minister by the end of five years.

The 87-year-old Mr Achu-thanandan took recourse to verse to prove that the young Congress leader’s criticism was irrelevant.

“A grey head is not a sign of ageing, neither is lack of grey a sign of youth,” he said in Palakkad, quoting an old Malayalam poem. “The refusal to bow my head before tyranny is the sign of my youth.”

The Chief Minister also asked, “Is it my mistake that I am 87 years old?” amid cheers from supporters.

“I was studying in class seven when my father dies,” he reminisced. “I could not continue my studies after that. I have been working for this movement from the age of 16, fought the British during the freedom struggle and have organised people to fight for rights. I would like to know where Rahul was till he turned 40.”

Ridiculing Mr Gandhi, Mr Achuthanandan said he had fielded some ‘Amul babies’ in the poll arena and was an Amul baby himself.

The CPI state secretary, Mr C.K. Chandrappan, said that Mr Gandhi was making fun of the Chief Minister just to gain publicity.