New Delhi:
The Congress declared loftily that it would not retaliate to Nitin Gadkari's blistering attack on its president, Sonia Gandhi. Today, that vow was ignored as the Congress spokesperson, Jayanthi Natarajan, described Mr Gadkari as "a puppet of the RSS."
Mr Gadkari heads the BJP, whose parent body is the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS).
Ms Natarajan then went on to say "Every BJP Chief Minister is a despot and fascist in his own state."
Tit for tat, then. Yesterday, at a BJP function in Kolkata, Mr Gadkari had declared Mrs Gandhi "a symbol of fascism" for the government's decision to dismantle a massive sit-in against corruption earlier this month which was organized and led by yoga teacher Baba Ramdev.
Mr Gadkari had also mocked the Congress' agenda to check corruption in the government. "Sonia Gandhi says she will fight corruption. It is like Pakistan saying they will fight terrorism. Will anyone believe this?" Mr Gadkari challenged.
(Read: 'Sonia fighting corruption is like Pak fighting terror') "He has reduced national level discourse to the gutter level," said Ms Natarajan. "By equating the President of the UPA and the President of the Congress to Pakistan, he has shown his mindset ....and we demand an apology."