Hitting back at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi over his reaction on Haryana minister Anil Vij's statement, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said the Congress represents Mussolini and Italian fascism.
"Rahul Gandhi and Congress Party are so jealous and envious of the Prime Minister's popularity that they can't hold themselves back without making some comment against him every day. Rahul Gandhi and his party represent Mussolini, Italian fascism better than anybody else," BJP spokesperson G. V. L. Narasimha Rao told ANI.
Accusing Rahul Gandhi of turning the Congress party into a political mafia, Rao said the former had no moral ground to comment on anybody.
"It's Rahul Gandhi and his party that have converted the Congress Party into a political mafia. Therefore, he has absolutely no moral ground to comment against anybody else," he said.
Reacting to Vij's statement that Narendra Modi is better brand than Mahatma Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday tweeted Hitler and Mussolini were also very powerful brands.
The controversial Haryana Minister had earlier said that from the time Gandhi's name has been associated with Khadi, the industry has never been able to stand up.
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Vij's comment comes in connection with the ongoing controversy over the photo of the Prime Minister replacing that of Gandhi in the 2017 wall calendar and table diary published by the Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC).
The cover photo on the calendar and the diary shows Prime Minister Modi weaving khadi on a large 'charkha' in the same pose as Gandhiji.
However, the BJP was quick in condemning the remarks clarifying that it was not the stand of the party.
Minutes after making the controversial comment, Vij retracted his statement saying, "the comment I made on Mahatma Gandhi is my personal opinion. To avoid hurting anyone's sentiments, I take it back," he said.