The BJP on Friday took a swipe at the Congress after senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge emerged as the favourite to win the poll for party president, suggesting that he will be a "proxy" and "remote-controlled".
"Mallikarjun Kharge at 80 is an inspiring choice for the Congress. He is young, energetic and just what the Congress needed to ensure its revival. He should just pick Dr Manmohan Singh's manual on 'Living by the Remote Control' and it is all sorted," BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said in a tweet.
Shashi Tharoor continues to hang in, he added, referring to the Congress MP, who has also filed his nomination for the Congress president post.
Most senior Congress leaders, however, rally around Kharge, who is seen to have the backing of the Gandhis even though they have conveyed that they will remain neutral in the election.
"After (Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok) Gehlot lost favour with Parivar (Gandhis), now 80-year-old Mallikarjun Kharge ji becomes the chosen remote controlled 'proxy' candidate, who is projected as an 'official candidate', contrast his nomination with Tharoor's lacklustre one. Isn't it clear the match is fixed for Kharge," BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said in a tweet.
In a dig at the Gandhi family, he said, "Does anyone believe this is a free & fair exercise where Parivar is calling the shots to get its candidate 'selected'. Just like Dr Manmohan Singh was the face & titular PM, now the same SOP will be followed here."
The Gandhis, he alleged, wanted to oust Gehlot as the Rajasthan chief minister on the basis of one person one post when he was seen to be their choice for the new Congress president. "But an exception is made for Kharge ji. Did he quit as the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha before nomination," Poonawalla asked.