BJP's 'Vishkanya' remark for Sonia shows the rot in politics: Ashok Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday slammed a Karnataka BJP leader for calling former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi a 'Vishkanya,' saying the use of the term was a reflection of the vitiated political discourse in the country.

"Remarks made by a Bharatiya Janata Party leader in Karnataka against Sonia Gandhi reflect the rot in politics. Sonia Gandhi is respected across the country, by both ruling and the opposition parties," Gehlot told reporters in Hanumangarh.

Read | Congress targets BJP, demands expulsion of Basangouda Yatnal for calling Sonia Gandhi ‘vishkanya’

"With such lowly and despicable statements about her, I think a new form of BJP is emerging," he said .

During an interaction with the media in poll-bound Karnataka, BJP MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal Thursday night called Sonia Gandhi a 'Vishkanya,' apparently responding to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's comparison of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a 'poisonous snake.'

Gehlot in his turn accused the BJP of distorting its opponents' remarks in order to mislead the public.

"I think their countdown is starting from Karnataka. If we make any comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he distorts it and presents it in front of the public to win the election, we have seen that many times," he said.

All the same, the Congress leader said he will personally write a letter to Modi and ask him to take action against Yatnal.

He said if the PM or Karnataka CM don't take action then it will be clear they share the opinion of the BJP MLA.