New Delhi [India], August 28 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Sambit Patra on Thursday lambasted Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and the other leaders of the INDIA bloc over the kind of language being used in Bihar's 'Voter Adhikaar Yatra', accusing them of engaging in the 'politics of abuse'.

'There's no difference between Rahul Gandhi, Mani Shankar Aiyar and Sanjay Raut. There's a competition among the INDIA bloc leaders. Rahul Gandhi is the new Mani Shankar Aiyar of Congress. This politics of abuse is not limited to the Prime Minister,' Patra said while addressing a press conference here.

Labelling the Congress as 'abusive,' Patra raised strong objections to the criticism of constitutional institutions by Rahul Gandhi and condemned the controversial remarks made by Congress' Sandeep Dikshit against Army Chief Bipin Rawat in 2017.

'The so-called opposition of the country has spared no constitutional authority. You have dragged the Supreme Court to the streets. You are showing that there is bias in the judgment of the Supreme Court. This is nothing but an assault on the Supreme Court. In the yesteryear, you have called Army Chief as 'sadak ka gunda',' the BJP Lok Sabha MP said.

'Every day, the Election Commission has to pass Agnipariksha due to some unfounded allegation. On the streets, you allege some kind of fraud against the constitutional authority of India. You call EC, PM chor. This is gaali waali Congress,' he added.

Patra criticised the abuses hurled at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Voter Adhikaar Yatra and slammed Rahul Gandhi for addressing the latter as 'tu', which he implied was disrespectful to the Prime Minister of 140 crore Indians.

'It is unfortunate...the kind of language that is being used in a Yatra in Bihar. There is dignity in democracy. The kind of bitterness and language being used for PM Modi and his late mother is shameful for Congress, which used to link itself with the freedom movement of this country. Rahul Gandhi should understand that Modi is the Prime Minister of 140 crore people in this country. In this country, people don't accept undignified language,' the BJP leader said.

'Since 2012 and 2013, Congress has used such language for the PM - 'Maut Ka Saudagar, Naali ka Keeda, Neech Aadmi, Cockroach, Virus'...all these abuses have been hurled at the honourable Prime Minister. On top of that, Congress accuses us of Hitlershahi, dictatorship. Where in the world are such words used for the PM in a democratic country? For them, the act of beating up would be democratic,' he added.

This comes after Rahul Gandhi, in his Muffarpur rally on Wednesday, doubled down on his criticism of PM Modi over claims made by US President Donald Trump regarding the 'halting' of conflict between India and Pakistan, where Gandhi addressed the PM as 'tu' while narrating the incident.

He stated that PM Modi had 'stopped strikes (on terror camps) within five hours at Trump's direction'. (ANI)