New Delhi: A BJP leader's invective for Rahul Gandhi -- that he is the "number one terrorist" -- has snowballed into a huge row, with leaders of the Congress and the BJP carrying on a no-holds barred epistolary war. First it was Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the response to which came this morning from BJP chief JP Nadda. While it was formally answered by Jairam Ramesh, the Congress's communications in-charge, a barrage of verbal criticism came from the party's other leaders. With each letter, the barbs have got sharper.
"The Congress is shocked that the letter written by our president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Shri Mallikarjun Kharge ji to the Prime Minister was passed on to you to respond... Your response to Mallikarjun Kharge's letter to the prime minister is both juvenile and shallow, and a shameful attempt to distract from the serious threats to Rahul Gandhi's life," Mr Ramesh wrote.
"Before attempting to bestow certificates of nationalism upon the Congress Party -- a party whose leaders have laid down their lives for this nation -- it would serve you well to first reflect on the party and ideology you represent. May you never forget that even before the tragic assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, your ideological forefathers were instrumental in cultivating an atmosphere of violence and hatred against Bapu," he added.
In striking contrast to the Congress' politics of inclusion and progressivism, the BJP has mastered the art of "cheap politics, of using hatred and polarisation to distract people from the glaring failures of its government," he further wrote.
The letter was sparked by Mr Nadda's stinging response to Mr Kharge, where he enumerated the Opposition's negative comments about the Prime Minister. Leaders of the Congress, starting from the top, had insulted the Prime Minister 110 times over the last 10 years, he wrote.
"Wasn't it Rahul Gandhi's mother, Sonia Gandhi, who called PM Modi a 'Maut ka Saudagar (merchant of death)'? You and your party leaders have always glorified such unfortunate and shameful statements... Why did the Congress forget the principles of political decency back then? When Rahul Gandhi publicly stated, 'We will tarnish Modi's image,' who was responsible for shattering political decorum, Kharge? I understand that defending and glorifying your continuously failing product is a compulsion for you, but as Congress President, you should have reflected on these issues," Mr Nadda wrote.
"On one hand, you preach political decency, but on the other, your party's history is filled with instances of trampling upon it. Why this double standard?" the BJP chief wrote.
Rahul Gandhi had been at the receiving end of a barrage of BJP criticism over his remarks made in the US. As the level of discourse plummeted, the Congress chief wrote to PM Modi, asking him to "impose discipline and decorum on your leaders".
Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu on Sunday questioned if those "manufacturing bombs" were supporting Mr Gandhi, remarking that he is the "number one terrorist". Sanjay Gaikwad, MLA of Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena, went a step further, announcing that he would give Rs 11 lakh to anyone chopping off Mr Gandhi's tongue.