Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday called the BJP a “terrorist party”, paying back the saffron camp with the same coin in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s allegation that the Congress had been taken over by “urban Naxals”.

Asked for a reaction to the Prime Minister’s remark made a few days ago at a rally in Washim, Maharashtra, Kharge told ANI: “Progressive people are being called Urban Naxals... this is his habit. His party itself is a terrorist party. They do lynching, hit people, urinate in the mouths of people from Scheduled Castes, rape tribal people... they also support those people who do all these. Then they blame others, (PM) Modi has no right to say this. Wherever his government is there, atrocities are committed on people of Scheduled Castes, especially tribals. Then he keeps talking about atrocities... it is your government, you can control it...”

At his Washim rally, the Prime Minister had alleged that the Congress had been taken over by a “gang of urban Naxals”, urging people to beware of the Congress.