Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday lashed out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and said that "power without responsibility" was nothing new for the Congress, while citing the party's role in Maharashtra, where it is a part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
Rajnath was responding to Gandhi scion's statement that claimed his party was not a 'decision-maker' in Maharashtra and was just supporting the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led government from outside.
"Rahul Gandhi had said that Congress is not a key decision-maker in Maharashtra. What does this mean? Are they washing their hands off their responsibility at this time? This is nothing new, 'power without responsibility' is their character," Singh said at the 'Maharashtra Jan-Samvad Rally' being held through video conferencing.
Further, the BJP leader also replied with a couplet to the jibe of Gandhi, who had raised questions over the issue of a border dispute with China.
"Haath me dard ho to dawa kije, haath hi jab dard ho to kya kije," Singh said. The couplet roughly translates to, "You apply medicine to the hand when it pains, but what to when the hand itself is the cause of pain."
This was recited by Singh in reference to the Congress' election symbol.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi used Mirza Ghalib's verse and said that 'everyone knows the status of India's borders but Amit Shah can stay happy in an imaginary world'.
Gandhi tweeted in Hindi, "Sabko maaloom hai 'Seema' ki haqiqat lekin, Dil ke khush rakhne ko, 'Shah-Yad' ye khyaal achha hai." It roughly translates to "everybody knows the border's reality but to keep oneself happy, Shah's thought is good".
Singh also said that he would answer the queries of all opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, on the border dispute in the Parliament.
"Today Rahul Gandhi and some opposition leaders said the government should clarify what is happening at the India-China border. As the Defence Minister of the country, I want to say that whatever I have to say I will say it inside Parliament, I will not mislead the people," Singh said.
( With inputs from ANI )