Minister of State Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti used abusive language while campaigning in Delhi
A new minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government used abusive language to target rival parties while campaigning in Delhi on Monday.
Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti used an expletive as she questioned a crowd in west Delhi on Monday: "You have to decide. Do you want a government of
Ramzaadon (followers of Ram) or (those who are illegitimate)?"
The minister also took digs at Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son-in-law Robert Vadra, who has been accused of making controversial land deals. "The son of an ordinary family, who sold utensils - Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law - how did this man become a millionaire? They robbed the poor."
The Congress has asked for permission to raise the minister's comments in Parliament today and seek an explanation from the government.
The 47-year-old saffron-robed Niranjan Jyoti joined the Modi government as a minister of state for food processing on November 9. Known for her religious discourses, the Sadhvi debuted in the May national election and won from Uttar Pradesh. She is among the six BJP MPs drafted into the party's campaign for the Delhi polls due early next year.
When reporters asked her about the abusive remarks, she was defiant. "What else do you call people who loot the nation...those who steal from the people and stash it in foreign banks? You tell me what we should call them," she said.
Her poor choice of words is circulating on social media with hashtags that include #abusiveminister and has been seized by the opposition.
"This will be raised in both houses of Parliament. The BJP should arrange lessons in proper language and conduct for its ministers," said Congress leader Rajiv Shukla.
"This is the real character of the BJP. Their using such language shows how they are working," said Manish Sisodia, a leader of the Aam Aadmi Party.