New Delhi, Mar 18 (IANS): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s statement on the ‘fight against Shakti’ has led to barbs trading and political bickering between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Both the parties, while taking potshots at each other, are accusing each other of insulting Shakti, a divine force in Hinduism that manifests in many forms.

Congress Spokesperson Pawan Khera on Monday rallied behind Rahul’s remarks on Shakti and moving a step further, dubbed the upcoming Lok Sabha election 2024 as a fight between ‘divine power vs demonic power’.

Claiming that divine force backs Congress, Khera alleged that the episodes of women harassment under Modi government runs long and the latter will pay the price for this in upcoming elections.

Listing out cases of crimes against women, Khera accused the government of looking the other way while the women got abused and harassed in Unnao, Hathras and Kathua.

“What happened to the rapists of Kathua, Unnao and Hathras? What your government did when women were paraded naked in Manipur and made the nation hang heads in shame?” he asked.

Khera’s reaction came on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi lambasting the Congress, at a public rally in Telangana on Monday. PM Modi also vowed to fight ‘till his last breath’ against any attempt to denigrate ‘Shakti’, something that he equated to mothers, sisters and daughters.

After Rahul’s controversial statement at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on Sunday, the BJP was quick to launch a scathing attack and accused him of promoting misogynist views. It also called out the Hindu hatred of the Congress party and claimed that ‘Rahul’s remarks revealed the real intent of the party’.

What ignited the whole controversy was Rahul’s remarks at the INDIA alliance rally, “There is a word 'Shakti' (might) in Hindi. We are fighting against a Shakti (might of the state). The question is, what is that Shakti and what does it entail for us?”