Congress leader Rahul Gandhi blames PM Modi for World Cup loss, says his presence in stadium ‘unlucky’

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday (Nov 21) took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Indian cricket team’s crushing defeat against Australia in the ODI World Cup final on Sunday.

While addressing a rally in Jalore city of poll-bound Rajasthan state, Rahul Gandhi said that had Modi not attended the match, the Indian team would have won the World Cup.

Then someone from the crowd shouted ‘panauti’ (a Hindi word for a person who brings bad luck or omen).

To which Gandhi responded, “Yeah…panauti, panauti... Our boys were easily going to win the World Cup but the 'bad omen' made us lose. The media won't point this out but people know.”

Though the Congress MP did not directly call Modi a ‘bad omen’, he suggested that his presence in the Ahmedabad stadium, which is named after the Indian prime minister, caused the team’s downfall.

Jairam Ramesh slams Modi's meet with players  

Another senior member, Jairam Ramesh, lashed out at the prime minister after a video was released showing Modi consoling the Indian team players after the loss.

“The video of the self-imposed, choreographed consolation by the ‘Master Of Drama in India’ has completely exposed the insincerity behind the photographs released yesterday. The face-saving exercise has backfired. The youth of India will not be fooled by these desperate antics,” Ramesh, who is the general secretary in-charge of communications, said on X.

"You reached here after winning 10 matches. These things happen," the prime minister is heard telling skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, holding their hands, in the video.

BJP responds 

Later, the BJP hit out at Rahul Gandhi for his remarks and demanded an apology from him. 

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BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “What happened to you, Rahul Gandhi? You are using such words for the prime minister of the country. Our prime minister met the players and motivated them. Winning or losing is part of the game. Rahul Gandhi needs to apologise."

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"You need to learn from the past. Your mother (Sonia Gandhi) used the word 'Maut ka saudagar' (dealer of deaths)."