The Uttar Pradesh pollscape heated up with Congress general secretary and the BJP leader taking on each other in an aggressive battle of words.
A day after BJP made her a candidate in UP Assembly polls, Uma Bharti traded barbs with Rahul Gandhi after being dubbed an outsider and vowed to defeat the Congress like she made his "guru" Digvijay Singh once "bite the dust" in Madhya Pradesh.
Hitting back at the Congress General Secretary for his remarks that Bharti was contesting from UP though she was from MP, Bharti said the young leader should remember that his mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi is from Italy and has been accepted in India.
"Sonia Gandhi came from Italy and has been accepted in India. If Italy's Sonia was accepted in India, I am only from Madhya Pradesh. Rahul should remember the background of his mother. Only then he should comment on his bua (aunt)," she said taking a swipe at Rahul.
Bharti, who has been fielded from Charkari in Bundelkhand region of UP, said she had made Rahul's "guru" Digvijay Singh once "bite the dust" in MP.
"Now guru-chela(mentor-disciple) are in Uttar Pradesh, I will repeat what I had done to him(Digvijay) in Madhya Pradesh," she told reporters. Under Bharti's leadership, the BJP had ousted the Digvijay Singh government of the Congress in MP after 10 years in 2003.
The firebrand leader's comments came shortly after Rahul took on the BJP's star campaigner at an election rally in Hamirpur in UP asking where was she when Bundelkhand faced drought and hardships.
"A BJP leader has been brought from Madhya Pradesh. Where was she when farmers were dying in Bundelkhand? Now that elections are here she has come to you," said Rahul without taking the name of Bharti.
"Where she was when we met PM and brought Bundelkhand package", Rahul said, noting that she has been fielded just two weeks before UP goes to polls.
Coming down hard on the Centre's move to provide 4.5% sub quota to minorities within the 27% quota for OBCs, Bharti said, "Congress will pay heavily for its divisive policies. While the minority should get education and employment, it should not be at the cost of OBCs."
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