BJP leader and Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday took aim at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over his "poisonous snake" jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the veteran leader's remarks reflect his party's "cultural and mindset".

Speaking to reporters here, the railway minister said the Congress has never refrained from launching personal attacks on Modi, noting that its former president Sonia Gandhi had once called him "maut ka saudagar".

Vaishnaw asserted that people have a lot of trust in Modi who has been a leader like no others when it comes to having "moral authority". People know he is taking the country in the right direction, he said.

Addressing a campaign rally in Karnataka, Kharge likened Modi to a poisonous snake. As a row erupted, he later sought to clarify that his remarks were not aimed at the prime minister but at the ruling BJP.

The Union minister also took a swipe at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal amid a row over Rs 45 crore being spent on the renovation of his residence, accusing him of "betraying" people.

He has done exactly opposite to what he had promised, the BJP leader said.

He can go to any extent to fulfil his wish, Vaishnaw said.

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