The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday hit back at the Congress for seeking an apology from party chief Nitin Gadkari for his remarks on Sonia Gandhi, saying it should first say sorry for using terms like "merchant of death" and "man-eater" against a "popular chief minister" of the party.
"What Gadkari has said about Congress president Sonia Gandhi is a very, very apt observation and it is factual. The Gandhi family and Congress are not honest in fighting and eradicating corruption," said a party leader.
"The truth is bitter and it hurts. It has hurt the Congress and this is proof of its complicity," said BJP spokesperson Jagat Prakash Nadda.
'This shows the level of intolerance of the Congress'
Gadkari had on Wednesday said in Kolkata that Sonia Gandhi's claim of fighting corruption was similar to that of Pakistan's claim with regard to terrorism.
Congress had termed it "gutter politics" and demanded an apology from the BJP.
"To call what Gadkari said gutter politics shows the level of intolerance of the Congress. This is the kind of terminology used by them everyday and hence they have used it here," Nadda said.
He maintained that the BJP has always come forward to protect and fight for Indian culture. It demanded an apology from the Congress for using objectionable language against BJP leaders.
'They called us a party of dancers'
"If there should be an apology, it should come from those who used the term maut ka saudagar (merchant of death), aadamkhor (maneater) and Dawood Ibrahim against a popular chief minister," Nadda said.
He was referring to Gandhi and other Congress leaders using these terms to refer to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi during the 2007 assembly elections.
"If our leaders dance with patriotic fervour on patriotic songs, they call it a party of dancers," Nadda said.
He was referring to Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh's remarks after senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj's jig at a protest in Rajghat against police crackdown on Ramdev's supporters at Ramlila grounds.
'Congress is an intolerant, fascist party'
"If anybody has to apologise, it is the Congress," Nadda insisted.
Describing Gadkari's comments against Gandhi as "a true and factual statement", Nadda alleged that the Congress is a "fascist, intolerant" party.
"We believe that the Congress is an intolerant, fascist party which does not believe in and adhere to basic principles of democracy. Those who agree with them are their friends, those who do not are traitors," said Nadda.
'Kalmadi was their hero'
The BJP alleged that the Congress had shown this intolerance when it used tear-gas against ladies and children at Ramlila grounds.
The opposition party took credit for former telecom minister A Raja and Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Chairperson Suresh Kalmadi going to jail.
"Raja is in jail as the BJP raised this issue (of 2G spectrum scam) and the Supreme Court is monitoring the investigation while Kalmadi was their hero," he said.
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