Now, Kerala CM calls Antony 'Kumbhakarna'

A day after calling Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi an "Amul baby", Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan on Monday described Defence Minister A K Antony as Kumbakarna, saying he was caught napping when terrorists attacked Mumbai.

Hitting back at Antony, who had said he was either sleeping or pretending to be asleep all these five years, the 87-year-old Marxist leader said, "It is Antony who is sleeping like Kumbhakarna," a character in Ramayana known for his prolonged spells of sleep.

 "Antony was sleeping when terrorists struck at Mumbai. As chief minister he was caught napping while communal carnage occurred at Marad village in Kerala," the Communist Party of India-Marxist leader charged at a meet-the-press programme at Alappuzha in Kerala.

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Achuthanandan had on Sunday called Rahul Gandhi an "Amul baby" for his jibe that if Left Democratic Front wins Kerala would have a 93-year old as a chief minister by the next elections.

Achuthanandan's comments against Gandhi has raised the hackles of Congress leaders who dubbed it 'uncivilised'. He also sought to know why Antony was not included in the committee formed to draft the Lok Pal bill.

The defence minister had earlier said that Achuthanandan had all of a sudden woken up to proclaim about taking on the corrupt and sexual abusers, after sleeping or pretending to sleep all these five years as chief minister.