Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Thursday waded into the row over Narendra Modi's "50 crore girlfriend" personal jibe at Union minister Shashi Tharoor, asking the Gujarat chief minister to disclose his marital status.
Slamming Modi, the AICC general secretary also questioned him on the whereabouts of his wife Yashoda Ben and defended Tharoor's counter-attack that the BJP leader doesn't know how to love a woman.
"Why is Modi silent about his wife's name? If you can visit YouTube and search Narendra Modi's wife, you will find the name Yashoda Ben as his wife," Singh said in a personal attack on Modi at an election rally and while talking to reporters.
Singh inquired as to why the column in documents of Modi which required to give marital status is always blank.
"Narendra Modi must clarify whether he married Yashoda Ben. And if so, did he divorce her? Why doesn't he stay with her. Why hasn't he declared his marital status," he said.
Singh claimed he never made personal attacks but was forced to do so after Modi's attack on Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar.
{{/usCountry}}Singh claimed he never made personal attacks but was forced to do so after Modi's attack on Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar.
{{/usCountry}}"A woman can be respected by a man only if he knows how to love or if he is married and is able to sustain the marriage," he added.
Singh said Modi's remark was not just limited to Tharoor and his wife, but it was an attack on all women.
"The comment that he made against Shashi Tharoor was not against him, but against the entire woman community," he added.
Hitting back at Modi for his attack on his wife, Tharoor on Tuesday said she is "priceless" but the Gujarat chief minister needs to be able to love someone to understand that.
Tharoor also said his wife was worth a lot more than Modi's "imaginary Rs 50 crore".
"My wife is worth a lot more than your imaginary 50 crore. She is priceless. But you need2be able2love some1 2understand that," the suave politician had tweeted.
At a poll rally in Shimla on Monday, Modi had taken potshots at Tharoor's personal life, saying his wife was once his "50-crore-rupee girlfriend", a day after the Congress leader made a comeback in the Union cabinet reshuffle as minister of state for Human Resources Development.