New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi and Piyush Goyal were on Tuesday locked in a verbal battle with the Congress chief demanding the Union minister's resignation over allegations of his involvement in a Rs 48 crore scam and the latter hitting back to say that he, unlike the opposition leader, was a "kaamdaar" not a "naamdaar".
The Congress president accused the Union railways minister of being involved in the Rs 48 crore Flashnet scam, which he said is about "deceit, conflict of interest and greed".
Goyal was quick to retaliate, echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to say that unlike Gandhi, who is a 'naamdaar' (dynast), he is a 'kaamdaar' (worker) and has not learnt the art of living without working.
Gandhi, who attacked Goyal on Twitter, also used a picture along with his tweet, alleging that Goyal sold his stock of Flashnet Info Solutions to Piramal group, which has interests in the power sector, at 1,000 times the face value.
He alleged that this happened when Goyal was the minister of state for power.
"Piyush Goyal's, 48 Crore FlashNet Scam is about deceit, conflict of interest and greed. The evidence is on the table. Yet, the media will not touch the story. It is a tragedy for our country when journalists entrusted to stand for the truth, will not speak," Gandhi said on Twitter, using the hashtag 'GoyalMustResign'.
Goyal countered the Twitter attack with a tweet of his own.
"Till 26th May 2014, before I became a Minister, I was a professional Chartered Accountant and investment banker. Unlike you, Mr Rahul Gandhi, I have not learnt well the art of living without working. I am also a 'kaamdaar' (worker) and not a 'naamdaar' (dynast)."
Addressing an election rally in Karnataka today, the prime minister attacked Gandhi in almost the same words.
"Congress president, Sir, we cannot sit before you. You are 'naamdar', while I am 'kaamdar'. We have no status to sit in front of you," he said.
Asked at the AICC briefing about Goyal and Modi's remarks on Gandhi, Congres spokesperson Sushmita Dev said the country today is not talking about 'kaamdaar' or 'naamdaar', but 'imaandaar'.
"The people of the country are not thinking about who is 'kaamdaar' or 'naamdaar'. Today, the only word that exists in the people's heart is 'imaandaar' (honest).
"Whether you are honest, Mr Piyush Goyal and the prime minister should answer that in 15 minutes, and if possible in 15 seconds," she told reporters.