The Congress on Monday came down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party for its posters in Uttar Pradesh projecting Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh as vultures and L K Advani as Lord Ram shooting them.

"We believe that this depicts the low, intolerant and violent mindset. It is a sharp lowering of democratic discourse," party spokesman Jayanti Natrajan said.

Calling upon BJP to withdraw the posters forthwith, Natarajan said the posters project a message of hatred.

Asked whether the statements of the BJP's prime ministerial candidate indicated that the BJP was turning to Hindutva agenda and whether it would have any effect on National Democratic Alliance, she remarked "I do not believe that NDA as an entity exists at all".

Natarajan said the NDA was only in name and the BJP would not be able to cobble together a credible coalition.