Bharatiya Janata Party MP Shatrughan Sinha on Tuesday claimed Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s announcement about an income support scheme had rattled his party’s members. On Monday, Gandhi had announced an income support scheme of Rs 72,000 per annum to the poorest 20% families of the country.

The BJP leader, who has been critical of the party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, described the announcement as a “masterstroke by the master of situation”. “Some of our prominent people had to rush for a press conference, calling the whole declaration/ announcement ‘chhal kapat’ [bluff],” Sinha tweeted.

Sinha’s statement follows Finance Minister Arun Jaitley claim that the scheme was a “bluff announcement”.

Gandhi had first mentioned such a scheme in January. The scheme, ‘Nyoontama Aay Yojana’, will help five crore families and 25 crore people, he said. The money will be directly transferred to their bank accounts.

Gandhi said the rural job security scheme MGNREGA had brought 14 crore people out of poverty. “In the second phase, 25 crore people will be pulled out,” he had said, according to the Hindustan Times.

Shatrughan Sinha has also made appearances at public functions organised by Opposition leaders, including a rally organised by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in January.

On March 24, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in Bihar announced that Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was listed as a candidate for the Lok Sabha polls from Sinha’s Patna Sahib constituency. The same day, Sinha reacted by saying he is “capable of paying back”.