Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday condemned BJP leader and Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu for his remarks against Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

Addressing media persons, Sukhu criticised Rajya Sabha MP Bittu, who joined the BJP earlier this year after leaving the Congress, stating that Bittu calling Rahul Gandhi ‘terrorist number one’ demonstrates appeasement and renunciation of principles just to gain publicity to maintain his political position within the BJP.

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Bittu had targeted Rahul Gandhi recently during an event in Jharkhand over his remarks on Sikhs in the United States.

“The turncoat (Bittu), a former two-time Congress MP, used to heap praises on Rahul Gandhi while in Congress. The hunger for power has now forced him to stoop to such a level. It seems that principles can be sacrificed at any time just for the love of the chair,” Sukhu charged.

In a democracy, criticism is obvious; however, one should refrain from making such remarks against political opponents, he added.

“Rahul Gandhi, a respectable political leader and the son and grandson of former Prime Ministers, is the voice of the people. He had embarked on ‘padayatra’ not to gain any position but to save democracy and strengthen the ideology of the Congress party,” Sukhy remarked.

The BJP, flustered by Rahul Gandhi’s popularity, is using its leaders to make remarks against him to divert public attention and hide its failures during elections, he added.

He said, “Our government and the Himachal Pradesh Congress condemn his remarks and urge BJP national president J P Nadda to rein in such leaders, as personal attacks do not attract any political mileage.”

Replying to a media query on campaigning in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls, Sukhu said that he would perform the task entrusted to him by the party and would soon visit the state for the election campaign.