Union Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday lashed out at Congress General Secretary Uttar Pradesh (East) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the arrogant Kaurava king Duryodhana.

While addressing a rally in Ambala in Haryana earlier on Tuesday, Priyanka used the Mahabharata analogy to hit back at Prime Minister Modi over his “Bhrashtachari (corrupt) No. 1” jibe at her father Rajiv Gandhi and said, “Modi is as arrogant as Duryodhana”.

Sushma hit back saying her brother Rahul Gandhi had displayed his “arrogance” by going against his own party-led government.

“Priyankaji, You talked of arrogance today. I am reminding you that arrogance had crossed its limits when Rahul Gandhi had insulted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (of his party) and tore the ordinance approved by the President. Who is making sarcastic remarks?” Sushma Swaraj tweeted in Hindi.

प्रियंका जी – आज आपने अहंकार की बात की. मैं आपको याद दिला दूँ की अहंकार की पराकाष्ठा तो उस दिन हुई थी जिस दिन राहुल जी ने अपने ही प्रधान मंत्री डाक्टर मनमोहन सिंह जी का अपमान करते हुए राष्ट्रपति द्वारा जारी अध्यादेश को फाड़ कर फेंका था. कौन किसको सुना रहा है ?

— Chowkidar Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) May 7, 2019

Earlier, BJP president Amit Shah too flayed Priyanka Gandhi for the comparison saying the Lok Sabha poll results on May 23 will determine whether PM Modi is Duryodhana or Arjun (the protagonist of Mahabharata).

“Priyanka Gandhi has compared Modi ji with Duryodhan. People of the country will decide who is Duryadhana and who is Arjun on May 23. Priyanka ji, do not worry, people will tell you whether Modi ji is Duryodan or Arjun,” Shah said at an election rally in Bengal’s Midnapore.

Taking a swipe at the parties in the opposition Grand Alliance, Shah said here that its leaders have abused and insulted Modi more than 51 times in the run-up to the 2019 elections.

“If a former Prime Minister is insulted, the Congress leaders get shaken but when the present Prime Minister is insulted they do not utter a word of protest,” he added.

Priyanka in her address had also quoted an excerpt from one of the poems of Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, the celebrated poet who is hailed as the National Poet of India. She said, “Jab naash manuj par chaata hai, pehle vivek mar jata hai (when a person is destined to doom, then the first thing he loses is his wisdom).”

The political slugfest began when PM Modi on Saturday while taking a jibe at Rahul Gandhi had said: “Your father was termed ‘Mr. Clean’ by his courtiers but his life ended as ‘bhrashtachari’ (corrupt) number 1.”