No need to talk like that: Yediyurappa slams Karnataka BJP chief's 'drug addict' remark on Rahul Gandhi

Karnataka BJP chief Nalin Kumar Kateel had called Rahul Gandhi a "drug addict and drug peddler".

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New Delhi: Former Chief Minister of Karnataka BS Yediyurappa distanced himself from BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel’s "drug addict" remark on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and said such statements should not be made. 

Talking to reporters in Vijayapura district’s Sindagi where Yediyurappa went to campaign for the BJP candidate for the forthcoming Assembly bypolls, he said, "No one should speak like that. I will talk to him to know what the background was behind such a statement. There was no need to speak that way.” 

Kateel on Tuesday had made controversial remarks on the former Congress chief. Addressing a gathering of BJP workers, as per ANI, he had said, "Rahul Gandhi says he will become president. Tell me what is Rahul Gandhi? Rahul Gandhi is a drug addict and drug peddler. I do not say this, it has appeared in news reports. They are unable to run the Congress party. Those who cannot run a party, how can they run this country?"

Drawing flak from Congress over the statement, the grand old party demanded an apology and resignation of Kateel on the issue.

The development comes ahead of the bypolls to two constituencies-- Sindagi and Hangal-- in Karnataka on October 30.

Meanwhile, Yediyurappa slammed Congress leader HD Kumaraswamy and Siddaramaiah for criticising RSS during the election campaign and said, "Kumaraswamy and Siddaramaiah are unnecessarily dragging the RSS name into the election campaign but they will gain nothing by bringing RSS name, people will give them a proper answer in the bypolls." 

The  Karnataka Congress and BJP have been engaged in a bitter war of words since the former called Prime Minister Narendra Modi "angootha-chhaap" or illiterate, and later deleted the tweet after much hullabaloo. The Karnataka Congress expressed regret for the "uncivil tweet" posted by a "novice social media manager". 

(With agency inputs)