The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has responded sharply to a letter from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who raised concerns about violent and objectionable remarks made by BJP leaders against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. In a statement issued on Thursday, BJP chief JP Nadda accused Kharge of shielding Rahul Gandhi, whom he referred to as a “failed product” in Indian politics, and reminded him of several instances when Congress leaders, including Gandhi, had made derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Kharge’s letter, sent earlier this week, urged Prime Minister Modi to rein in his party members who had been using inflammatory language against the Leader of the Opposition. Citing recent instances of BJP leaders and their allies making threatening and violent comments towards Gandhi, Kharge called for strict legal action to prevent the deterioration of Indian politics.

In his letter, Kharge mentioned that BJP leaders, including Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu and UP Minister Raghuraj Singh, had labeled Rahul Gandhi as a “number one terrorist,” with Bittu accusing Gandhi of receiving support from “bomb makers.” Additionally, Kharge pointed to a statement made by Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad, who allegedly offered a reward of Rs 11 lakh to anyone who could “cut off Gandhi’s tongue.”

Kharge’s letter expressed concern about the impact of such language on Indian democracy and warned of the potential consequences. “The violent language used by leaders of the BJP and your allies is harmful to the future,” Kharge wrote, appealing to the Prime Minister to take action.

In response, JP Nadda’s letter reminded Kharge of past derogatory statements made by Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi himself, against Prime Minister Modi. Nadda referred to an infamous instance when Sonia Gandhi had called Modi “maut ka saudagar” (merchant of death). He questioned Kharge’s motivation for defending Gandhi despite the Congress leader’s history of controversial remarks.

The BJP leader’s retort highlighted what he described as Congress’s ongoing attempts to salvage Gandhi’s political career. “The Congress is trying to polish a failed product, but the people of India have already rejected him,” Nadda wrote, emphasizing the BJP’s position that the Congress party’s attacks on Modi had backfired.

Kharge’s call for restraint and legal action comes amidst an escalating war of words between the two national parties, with both sides accusing each other of lowering the tone of political discourse.