Priyank Kharge, a former minister and current spokesperson of the state Congress and son of Rajya Sabha leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, reacting on a proposal to change the name of government canteens named after Indira Gandhi and comments on former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, said, "Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee used to be a heavy drinker".

 

The comment has not gone down well with the BJP. State Minister for Energy Sunil Kumar Karkala stated on Sunday that Priyank Kharge 'lacked etiquettes while passing insulting comments on Vajpayee Ji' who is loved by all. "Priyank Kharge has caused insult to his personality by trying to impress the Nehru family," he underlined.

 

"Vajpayee used to be a heavy drinker. He needed two glasses of Whiskey every day," Priyank Kharge stated in Kalburgi on Saturday.

 

He was reacting to BJP national general secretary C.T. Ravi's statement of opening hookah bars at the Congress offices and former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru used to smoke hookah.

 

"Smoking cigarettes is not an offence. Vajpayee himself has said that he needed two glasses of whiskey for a magazine while talking about his personal life. Can it be said that consuming alcohol to be a crime," he questioned the BJP. "Will you name all bars after Vajpayee," he further taunted the BJP leaders.

 

"We think that all RSS leaders are vegetarians and all BJP leaders to be sincere. Vajpayee loved non-vegetarian food. Will non-vegetarian food habits affect his statesmanship? Will you name all slaughterhouses after Vajpayee," he retorted.

 

"None of the BJP leaders have taken part in the Independence movement. No one knows about Veer Savarkar. Even BJP leaders themselves do not know about him. They don't have leadership to look up to and hence BJP is indulging in hijacking tall leaders of the Congress party and insulting our leaders.

 

"The dignity of our party leaders will not be affected by these comments. There is no progress in the country even after 7 years of BJP ruling at the Centre. BJP leaders are blabbering to divert the attention of people," Priyank Kharge said.

 

He even went on about this in social media stating: "BJP Karnataka's logic - Pandit Nehru smoked (which is legal), so name a hookah bar after him. BJP leaders were caught on camera indulging in sexual acts (many of them got a stay), so what establishments will they start and whom they name it after?" Priyank Kharge said. "Too many contenders," he added in the post.

 

Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries Murugesh Nirani reacted to it stating that former Prime Minister Vajpayee is being loved by all.

 

"I don't have the capacity to talk about Vajpayee Ji. I will tell my friend Priyank Kharge not to talk about Vajpayee Ji. We have so much work on hand, either us or Congress leaders should not comment on the national leaders," he said.