A day after Congress’ Lok Sabha member Rahul Gandhi’s all-out offensive against the treasury benches over the government’s alleged failure on multiple fronts of governance, ruling BJP members including ministers hit back mocking him and even calling him ‘the prince of darkness’.

Spearheading the attack against the Congress MP, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that he was behaving like India’s ‘yuvraj’ or prince and now he thought himself to be a king.

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in the Lok Sabha on motion of thanks to President’s address that the ruling party had created two Indias- one for the rich and another for the poor, Rijiju sarcastically said that indeed there were two Indias one comprising of those going on foreign trips and rave parties (an implicit reference to Rahul Gandhi’s reported trips abroad)

 “Two Indias are 1. People enjoy high-class society life, attend rave parties, frequent vacation trips to foreign destinations and enjoy a very colorful life. 2. People live a simple life in India, remain with the needy people all the time, think Indian and follow Indian traditions,” Rijiju tweeted adding, “Earlier he (Rahul Gandhi) used to behave like India’s Yuvraj” and now he thinks he is the King of India!”

BJP vice president Baijayant Jay Panda making light of Rahul Gandhi’s statement said the “king of comedy is increasingly turning out to also be the prince of darkness.” He said for the Congress leader to say that India is not a nation is ludicrous.

“Yes, of course the Constitution defines India as a union of states. No issue there, but to extrapolate from that to say India is ‘not a nation’ is not merely ludicrous, but downright sinister,” the BJP leader said.

A minister in the BJP government in Bihar and BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain flayed Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of alleged strategic blunders committed by the government.

“Rahul Gandhi says that we have made huge strategic mistakes in J&K and in our foreign policy. Is he saying that going after terrorists and lifting article 370 is a wrong policy? Why does he support the propaganda of Pakistan?” Shahnawaz Hussain said.