'Khoda Pahad Nikli Chuhiya': Haryana CM Khattar's Dig at Sonia Gandhi's Return as Congress President

New Delhi: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday made a snide remark at Sonia Gandhi's return as the interim president of the Congress party. Using a Hindi proverb, Khattar suggested that the party took three months to choose a president but the outcome was less than mediocre.

"After losing the Lok Sabha polls, Rahul Gandhi resigned as the Congress president and started saying the party should get a new president from outside Gandhi family. We thought this would be a good move away from nepotism (parivarvad). But they spent three months moving around the country in search of a new party president and ultimately who became the president? Sonia Gandhi. Khoda Pahar Nikli Chuiya, Vo Bhi Mari Hui . This is their situation," Khattar said, addressing an election rally.

The Haryana chief minister's comments prompted a counterattack from the Congress, which said the remarks showed "the anti-women character" of the BJP. The Congress also went on to refer to the Haryana chief minister as a 'khacchar' (mule) in response.

"The comment made by the BJP's Chief Minister is not only cheap and objectionable, it also shows the anti-women character of the BJP. We condemn Chief Minister ML Khattar's remark and demand an immediate apology from him," the Congress tweeted in Hindi.

Khattar, who is known to make controversial statements against the grand old party, had on October 6 said that Congress can't think beyond the Nehru-Gandhi family.

"When we say what should be given priority, we say country always comes first. On the other hand Congress treats their leaders first, We say Bharat Mata Ki Jai, some in Congress say Sonia Mata Ki Jai," Khattar said at a poll rally in Naraingarh in Ambala district.

“A video has also gone viral over the internet in which the Congress nominee from Gurgaon assembly segment can be heard saying Gurgaon will not say 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' anymore and people will only say Sonia Mata Ki Jai," he said.

He said the Congress cannot now say the video is fake because "it will annoy Sonia Gandhi". "And if they say the video is authentic, the public will get angry."