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'Poisonous woman...': Karnataka BJP MLA attacks Sonia Gandhi in 'Modi snake' row
Karnataka election news: Cong chief Mallikarjun Kharge's 'Modi poisonous snake' jab spawns 'venomous' comeback by BJP.
A day after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's controversial 'Modi a poisonous snake' jab - which he later said referred to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's ideology - a Karnataka BJP MLA hit back and called Sonia Gandhi a 'vishkanya' - a mythological female assassin. The Congress hit back with Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel asking for prime minister Narendra Modi and union home minister Amit Shah's views on their party leader's slur.
At a election rally in the state's Koppal district, the BJP's Basanagouda Yatnal said 'the whole world has accepted PM Modi' and that the United States had rolled out a 'red carpet'.
"America, once upon a time, refused to give him a visa... they later rolled out a red carpet and welcomed Modi. Now, they (the Congress) are comparing him to a cobra and saying he will spew venom. Is Sonia Gandhi a venomous woman (vishkanye)?" the Bijapur City MLA ranted.
Yatnal, a former Lok Sabha MP and junior union minister, also accused the ex-Congress chief of having 'worked with China and Pakistan as their agent'.
The Congress' initial response was delivered by Baghel from Chhattisgarh capital Raipur; “A Karnataka BJP MLA has called Sonia Gandhi a 'vishkanya'. People want to know what PM Modi and Amit Shah have to say on this issue...”
The 'venomous' barbs started Thursday after Kharge said: "Prime minister Narendra Modi is like a poisonous snake... beware it will lead to your death.
The Congress chief was speaking at an election event in Karnataka's Kalaburagi and the remark triggered furious counterattacks from the BJP. Union minister Smriti Irani called it 'attacking India' and the BJP's IT Cell chief, Amit Malviya, laughed at the Congress and said it 'continues to plummet to new depths'.
READ | 'Desperate…': BJP slams Kharge over 'Modi poisonous snake' remark
Shortly after the furore Kharge issued a clarification, explaining that he was not referring to the prime minister. He said he had attacked the ideology of the BJP, which is bidding to retain the southern state after next month's election.
READ | 'Kharge's mind is poisonous': Karnataka CM Bommai slams Cong chief
"My comments not meant for Modi. I called the BJP ideology poisonous, (did) not attack PM Modi personally... meant if anyone touches BJP ideology, they will be due due to poison."
READ | 'Attacking India?': Smriti Irani hits out at Kharge in 'Modi snake' row
Karnataka votes on May 10 with results due three days later. This is the first big state election of 2023, with critical Assembly polls also due in Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh will also vote this year, as will Telangana and Mizoram. These are seen as 'semi-finals' before the 2024 Lok Sabha election in which Modi and the BJP will look for an unprecedented third term in power.
