New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi's "suit boot ka Sarkaar" jibe at the Narendra Modi government was returned with interest by the BJP again today. The party claimed that the Congress leader was sporting a Rs 41,000-plus T-shirt from British luxury brand Burberry while on his "Bharat Jodo Yatra" -- meant to evolve a connect with the common man. As the Congress tweeted the inevitable reminder of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "10 lakh suit", Trinamool Congress's Mahua Moitra warned the BJP not to "cross the line".
"Seriously advise BJP to not cross line & comment on Opposition's personal clothes & belongings. Remember if we start doing the same with watches, pens, shoes, rings & clothes BJP MPs wear, you'll rue the day you started this game," her tweet read.
"Bharat Dekho (look, India)," the BJP tweeted earlier, giving a screenshot of the garment in the Burberry catalogue with the price display -- Rs 41,257.
"Hey... are you scared? Seeing the crowd gathered in Bharat Jodo Yatra. Talk about the issue. Speak on unemployment and inflation. If we have to discuss the clothes, then Modi ji's suit of 10 lakhs and glasses of 1.5 lakhs should be discussed. Do the BJP want to discuss this?" the Congress responded.
"Sometimes black magic, sometimes the cost of T-shirts is the issue. The Prime Minister is away from the real issues of the country. Prime Minister, come talk on the real issues, don't hoodwink the people like this," read a rough translation of another Hindi tweet from the party's official handle.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said while the Congress is uniting the nation, the BJP is 'still entrapped in T-shirts and khaki shorts".
"The Centre has only a 'T-shirt' against the biggest Bharat Jodo Yatra," he told the media.
Shiv Sena's Priyanka Chaturvedi retorted that only if the BJP could have calculated so fast the cost of 'electing the suit-book sarkar'.
Mr Gandhi, who had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of wearing a suit worth Rs 10 lakh and coined the "suit boot kar Sarkar" jibe ahead of the 2019 general elections, has been facing copycat complaints from the BJP since.
In 2018, when he turned up a concert in Meghalaya capital Shillong in a black convertible jacket and jeans, the BJP had recreated the "suit boot" moment.
"So @OfficeOfRG , soot(pun intended!)-boot ki sarkar with 'black' money fleeced from Meghalayan State exchequer by rampant corruption? Instead of singing away our woes, you could have given a report card of your inefficient govt in Meghalaya! Your indifference mocks us!" the BJP had tweeted.
The jacket was a Burberry and cost around 70,000, the party claimed, producing another screenshot of a Burberry catalogue.
PM Modi's name-striped suit, worn during former US president Barack Obama's visit in 2015 was later auctioned by the party and sold for Rs 4.31 crore.