Bihar BJP Chief Invokes Chanakya To Attack Sonia Gandhi

Bihar BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal on Thursday invoked Chanakya to attack Sonia Gandhi when his reaction was sought on Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's faux pas.

Mr Jaiswal was asked about the raging controversy over the "slip of tongue" of Mr Chowdhury, who uttered the word "Rashtrapatni" while speaking about President Droupadi Murmu.

"It is the Congress' habit to demean anybody who rises in politics overcoming adversities thrown up by a humble family background," said the BJP leader, whose party has been priding itself on helping a "tribal woman" getting elected to the top constitutional post.

Moreover, Mr Chowdhury's utterance has evoked a furore from BJP leaders like Union minister Smriti Irani inside Parliament.

Mr Jaiswal, having blamed the West Bengal MP's indiscretion on the "culture" of his party, sought to twist the knife.

"We are in the land of Chanakya and Chandragupta (Bihar). It would be pertinent to recall what Chanakya, the great political philosopher, had said", Mr Jaiswal stated.

"Chanakya had said that nobody born to a foreign woman should occupy the throne. We can see the consequences of ignoring Chanakya's advice," said the BJP leader, in a tongue-in-cheek reference to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, both former Congress presidents, without mentioning either by name.

Mr Chowdhury, however, had claimed his comment was a "slip of tongue" and said he will apologise to President Murmu.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)