Congress slams Haryana CM for calling Sonia a 'dead rat'

The Congress on Monday (October 14) criticised Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar for his offensive comments during an election rally in Sonipat on Congress president Sonia Gandhi during an election rally on Sunday (October 13).

The Congress said the comment showed BJP’s “anti-women character.”

“After the defeat in the Lok Sabha election, Rahul (Gandhi) quit as the party president and said the new Congress chief would not be from the Gandhi family. We welcomed his decision. It is good to end dynasty politics. Then, these people started searching (for new president). After three months, they made Sonia Gandhi the Congress chief. It was like khoda pahaad, nikli chuhiya, woh bhi mari hui… (like digging up a mountain to find a rat, that too a dead one),” he said.

“The comment made by the BJP’s chief minister is not only cheap and objectionable, but 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.

कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष श्रीमती सोनिया गांधी जी के खिलाफ अपने तुच्छ बयान, महिलाओं के अपमान और असामाजिक सोच के लिए मुख्यमंत्री खट्टर को देश की समस्त महिलाओं से माफी मांगनी चाहिए।#MaafiMaangoKhattar pic.twitter.com/zxBzeLQjqU

— Congress (@INCIndia) October 14, 2019

Khattar, who became Haryana’s chief minister in 2014, is known for controversial comments. He was criticised for his recent remark on Kashmiri women after the scrapping of special status to Jammu and Kashmir in August. “Now some people say Kashmir is open; they (brides) will be brought from there. But jokes apart, if (sex) ratio is improved, then there will be a right balance in society,” he had said.

Haryana will vote for a new assembly on October 21 and the counting will take place three days later.