New Delhi, Dec 02, 2014: A new minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has embarrassed the BJP by using abusive language while campaigning in Delhi.
Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti used an expletive as she questioned a crowd in west Delhi on Monday: "You have to decide. Do you want a government of Ramzaadon (followers of Ram) or (those who are illegitimate)?"
The minister also took digs at Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son-in-law Robert Vadra, who has been accused of making controversial land deals.
"The son of an ordinary family, who sold utensils - Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law - how did this man become a millionaire? They robbed the poor."
The 47-year-old saffron-robed Niranjan Jyoti joined the Modi government as a minister of state for food processing on November 9. Known for her religious discourses, the Sadhvi debuted in the May national election and won from Uttar Pradesh. She is among the six BJP MPs drafted into the party’s campaign for the Delhi polls due early next year.
When reporters asked her about the abusive remarks, she was defiant. "What else do you call people who loot the nation...those who steal from the people and stash it in foreign banks? You tell me what we should call them," she said.
Her poor choice of words has incensed many on social media and has been seized by the opposition.
"We condemn in the strongest manner possible the politics of derogation and hate unleashed by the Modi government," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.
"This is the real character of the BJP. Their using such language shows how they are working," said Manish Sisodia, a leader of the Aam Aadmi Party.
Congress leader Mukesh Sharma said, "The Modi government has added a new person who is very senior and has blessed the people of Delhi with her great words. There can be nothing worse than what she said. She must apologize to the people of Delhi."
Courtesy: NDTV