Raj Babbar compares rupee-dollar rate to PM Modi's mother's age, sparks row

Babbar was addressing a gathering in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.

New Delhi: Congress leader Raj Babbar on Friday sparked a controversy by comparing the devalued rate of the Indian rupee to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nonagenarian mother, Heeraben.

Addressing a public gathering in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, the Uttar Pradesh Congress chief said, "He (PM Modi) used to say that the value of Indian rupee has fallen so much against the dollar that it was nearing the age of the then prime minister (Manmohan Singh). Today, the rupee's valuation has dropped so low, that it is inching closer to the age of your beloved mother."

The actor-turned-politician, meanwhile, said that his party was never opposed to the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya and he now felt that even the Muslim community wanted it.

The decision on the vexed issue, however, will be taken by the Supreme Court, he told reporters ahead of the November 28 Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls. The Uttar Pradesh Congress chief said the BJP rakes up the temple issue during every election.

Babbar's remarks came after senior Congress leader CP Joshi attacked the PM Modi and Union Minister Uma Bharti, claiming that they are not qualified to speak on Hinduism.

On Thursday, a video of Joshi at an event in Rajasthan's Nathdwara surfaced in which he was heard saying that only pandits and brahmins knew about Hinduism and were learned enough to speak about it.

The 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly will go to the polls on November 28 while elections in Rajasthan will be conducted on December 7. The counting for both is scheduled to be held on December 11.