From nana-nani to maa-baap – A new low

The political discourse is going from bad to worse. What perhaps started as an innocuous reference by PM Modi to ‘nana-nani’ – Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s parents -- in a political rally in Chhattisgarh, with the prime minister mocking the Congress for not having done anything tangible for development of the State, recoiled on Modi with RaJ Babbar making an obnoxious reference to his mother and a former Union minister alluding to his late father. Not the one to let bygone be bygones, Modi called out the Congress leaders for controversial remarks about his parents, questioning why the party was making "personal attacks".

Criticising the comments of Vilas Muttemwar, a former union minister, PM Modi said the Congress cares only about lineage, not achievements. In a video that has gone viral, Muttemwar is heard saying, "Who knew you (Modi) before you became the PM. Even now, nobody knows the name of your father but everybody knows the name of (Congress president) Rahul Gandhi's father".

The leader from Vidarbha has since claimed that his remarks have been distorted.

At an election rally in Vidisha, PM Modi gave a scathing response. "Two days ago, one Congress leader dragged in my mother. My mother hasn't even seen Madhya Pradesh. She doesn't even know the 'R' of rajneeti (politics). As if that wasn't enough, they dragged in my father too -- someone who passed away 30 years ago. Why did they do that?"

"We never make any personal attacks on anyone's family. We criticised the post they held. But why are Congress leaders making personal attacks on my mother and father," he said. A quick response, however, came from Omar Abdullah, who tweeted: I’m sorry to have to remind the Hon PM that he himself dragged Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s parents in to a speech of his while having a dig at them. It in no way justifies what the idiots on the other side are doing but the PM can’t play victim here.’’

Congress leader Raj Babbar had kicked up a controversy recently by comparing the falling value of the rupee to the advanced age of Modi's mother.

PM Modi also alleged that party leaders had the consent of their chief Rahul Gandhi for launching such a diatribe. ‘‘The Congress chief is behind this .... Naamdar alleges that the prime minister takes the names of his family members. Yes, I have to take their names as they were in politics, unlike my family members who sit quietly in their home and do their job," he added.