Thaindian News

Kolkata/New Delhi, June 15 (IANS) India’s top two political parties were locked in a war of words Wednesday after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari questioned Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s democratic credentials and called that party a “mother and son” organisation.

Addressing party activists in Kolkata, Gadkari said India would never forget the “black chapter” of Emergency rule that then prime minister Indira Gandhi presided over 1975-77.

“If Soniaji tries to move away from the path of democracy and tries to impose Emergency, we will not tolerate it,” he thundered.

Gadkari also said Sonia Gandhi had no right to talk about corruption.

“Sonia Gandhi says she will fight corruption. It is like Pakistan saying they will fight terrorism. When Pakistan says it will fight against terrorism, we don’t believe it. When Sonia Gandhi says she will fight against corruption, even the Congress does not believe it, nor do the people,” he said.

The Congress hit back, describing his comments as “gutter level politics” and said Gadkari was not suited to head any political party.

“The BJP has dragged the discourse to gutter-level politics,” Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said. “Gadkari is unfit at any level to be a player in not only national but at any level of a democratic polity because of the venom and the lack of culture in his discourse.”

She said Gadkari’s comments against Gandhi showed his mindset and added that he came from an “ideology that breeds hatred, divisiveness and murder”.

Gadkari also described as “fascism” the police crackdown on Baba Ramdev and his supporters in New Delhi that forced the yoga guru out of the city.

“The incident which happened at Ramlila Ground was Ravan Lila. The crackdown showcases the restlessness of the Congress-led UPA government. What happened is fascism and cannot be tolerated,” he said.

“The Congress talks about the non-violent movement of Gandhiji and this is what you get when you conduct a non-violent movement,” said Gadkari.

“Earlier, the Congress had imposed Emergency. The people of the India still remember that black chapter. I want to say that if Soniaji (Congress chief) tries to move away from the path of democracy and tries to impose Emergency, we will not tolerate it,” he said.

Gadkari called the Congress “a party of mother and son”.

“This Congress party is a party of mother and son. Everybody in this party, except the Gandhis, are servants of this family. Nobody is a leader except a Gandhi, others are servants. They are ordered by their madam (Sonia Gandhi) to serve and they serve,” said Gadkari.

Gadkari also took potshots at union Finance Minister and Congress stalwart Pranab Mukherjee, saying that he can become a prime minister of India someday but he can never adorn the post of Congress president.

“Pranab-da has a wish of becoming the prime minister of India. He may get that post someday but he will never become a Congress president because that post is reserved for a Gandhi only,” said Gadkari.