Rhetoric of loser: Nirmala Sitharaman slams Rahul Gandhi's claims

New Delhi: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday hit back at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, maintaining that his speech at the 84th Congress Plenary Session is the "rhetoric of a loser".

"It sounds like a rhetoric of a loser, devoid of substance. A party which questioned the fundamental existence of 'Shree (lord) Ram' today wants to be identified with the 'pandavas'. It is the party which chooses to mock Hindus and Hindu rituals," she said in a press conference in New Delhi.

Earlier on Sunday, Gandhi compared the BJP to the Kauravas.

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"Centuries ago, there was a huge battle on the field of Kurukshetra. The Kauravas were powerful and arrogant. The Pandavas were humble and fought for the truth. Like the Kauravas, BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are designed to fight for power. Like the Pandavas, Congress is designed to fight for the truth," Gandhi said on the last day of the plenary session.

Meanwhile, Union Minister for Law and Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad, too, slammed Rahul Gandhi and said his remarks on the judiciary were irresponsible.

"Rahul Gandhi's rant was shameful. The way he spoke of the judiciary was irresponsible," Prasad told news agency ANI.

Rahul Gandhi said the BJP and the RSS wanted to damage the pillars of democracy.

"BJP has spread fear. People from the press are scared. For the first time, we saw four Supreme Court judges running to the public for justice. There is a difference between RSS and Congress, we respect the country's institutions whereas they want to finish them. They only want one institution and that is RSS," Gandhi had said.