Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 8

The ongoing India-China standoff along the LAC on Monday saw the opposition Congress leaders and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh trading Urdu couplets to make their respective points.

After Congress leader Rahul Gandhi borrowed from the legendary poet Mirza Ghalib to take a swipe at the government on the LAC situation, saying “Sabko maloom hai ‘seema’ ki haqeqat lekin, dil ke khush karne ko, ‘shah-yad’ yeh khayal achha hai”, Rajnath Singh retorted Gandhi’s swipe at Home Minister Amit Shah with another distorted Ghalib verse.

Singh’s tweet, a jibe at the Congress and its election symbol (the hand), read, “Haath mein dard ho toh dawa keeje, haath hee jab dard ho toh kya keeje..”

The trading of couplets didn’t end here and late Monday it was the turn of Congress media head Randeep Surjewala to rise to the defence of Rahul Gandhi.

Surjewala’s tweet, an answer to Rajnath’s and a poser to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, read, “Sawaal puchho toh sawaal puchhte hain, hukumat waale ab zubaan pucchte hain, Kuchh baazu-e-taaqat toh aazmaaye janaab, Hum Hindustan hain, laal aankh kaa anjaam puchhte hain.”