New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS) Congress leader Udit Raj's caustic jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew a sharp condemnation and rebuke from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as the latter called out the grand old party's history of "dislike" towards Lord Ram and "love" for Mughal invaders like Babur. Taking strong objection to the "modern Ravana" dig at PM Modi, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said that the grand old party is increasingly becoming a tool in the hands of anti-national forces, and even the erudite Congressmen are failing to arrest this decline.

Sudhanshu Trivedi, in a presser at the party headquarters, called out Congress party's "double standards" and said that it is the same party which got Ram devotee 'karsevaks' killed during the Ayodhya movement, refused to attend the 'Pran Pratistha' ceremony during Ram Mandir inauguration, but generations of Gandhi family continued to pay obeisance at Mughal ruler Babur's grave. "Jawaharlal Nehru visited Babur's tomb in 1959, Indira Gandhi visited in 1969, while ex-PM Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi went there in 2005. People of the country can easily understand who is supportive of the demon king and who upholds the rich civilisational ethos of Lord Ram," the BJP spokesperson said.

Earlier in the day, Congress leader Udit Raj took a 'modern Ravana' swipe at PM Modi and said, "The way he is building his golden palace, once he enters it, he will see the same golden palace burn." Sudhanshu Trivedi, responding to this, said that today's Congress leadership is in a state of drift and bewilderment while its sane voices are silent. "This shows that Congress is slipping into the hands of outside forces with an anti-national mindset. Many erudite and learned Congress leaders who are silently watching from the fringes must come forward and arrest this decline in the grand old party. This should be a matter of concern not just for the party but also for the country," he added.

A couple of other BJP leaders also tore into the Congress party over the objectionable analogy. Shehzad Poonawala shared Congress leader Udit Raj's video and asked whether this was reflective of 'Mohabbat ki dukaan' or was it another attempt to hurl abuses at the Prime Minister. "Yesterday, Congress MLA from Telangana abused Prabhu Ram and PM Modi today, Udit Raj crossed the line," he said.