A day after Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu's "number one terrorist" remark against Rahul Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party leader MA Naqvi on Monday said the comments were against his party's culture and asserted that such "dirty talk" was in "bad taste".
Attacking Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Gandhi over the statements he made in the US about the condition of Sikhs in India, Bittu on Sunday had said if those "manufacturing bombs" were supporting him, he is the "number one terrorist".
"This is neither the BJP's culture nor that of our country. We can be political rivals and opponents but indulging in such dirty talk and using such a language is in bad taste," Naqvi told PTI when asked about Bittu's remarks targeting Gandhi.
"Those who talk like this, it is injurious to their political health. The BJP's culture of politeness is its USP and must be adhered to by all," he said, without taking anyone's name.
Bittu, the minister of state for railways, made the remark in Bihar's Bhagalpur where he came to attend the flagging-off ceremony of a Vande Bharat Express train to Howrah. Speaking with reporters, Bittu had said Gandhi spends most of his time outside the country and his friends and family are there.
"I think he doesn't love his country much because he goes abroad and says negative things about India. I think he is not a Hindustani," the minister said. -- PTI