Congress now a 'vote katua' party: BJP

In a dig at the Congress over Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's comments that her party will cut into the votes of the BJP that will help the grand alliance in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP said on Wednesday that the grand old party has become a "vote katua" party. The BJP said these remarks of the Congress general secretary show that her party has accepted defeat.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress general secretary and in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, said wherever the party has strong candidates it will win while in other places it has fielded those candidates who will cut the votes of the BJP. Sharply reacting on her comments, BJP's national spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "The Congress party is not contesting elections to win but to cut into votes of BJP. Today the grand old party has become a vote katua party."

'Vote katua' is a term used for those candidates who may not come out victorious but may tilt the electoral balance in the favour of one of the two main contestants. He said the question arises if the Congress is actually a part of the SP-BSP-RLD grand alliance and if not, what is its relationship with it.

"The key word here is confusion and we want to ask Congress about its relation with grand alliance...," Patra asked. He also questioned about Priyanak Gandhi of not contesting elections from Varanasi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Alleging that there are corruption charges against Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Robert Vadra, the brother, mother and husband of Priyanka, Patra said therefore she is afraid of BJP as the government is committed to take action against corruption. The Congress leader had told reporters in Amethi that her party is not at all cutting into votes of the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh as it fielded candidates either with prospects of victory or having potential to damage BJP's chances in the state.

"We have carefully chosen candidates so that either the Congress wins or they cut into BJP's votes. The Congress is not at all cutting into votes of the 'UP gathbandhan'," she said.