Raincoat barb row: Amit Shah reminds Rahul Gandhi of Sonia Gandhi's remark against PM Narendra Modi

Amit Shah's reference was Sonia Gandhi's remark "Maut ka Saudagar" (merchant of death) comment made against Modi during the 2007 Gujarat Assembly election.

Tehri: Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah on Thursday came down heavily on Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi after he criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raincoat remarks against ex-PM Dr Manmohan Singh.

Addressing an election rally in Uttarakhand's Tehri, Shah asked Rahul to recall his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi's remarks against PM Modi.

Shah's reference was Sonia Gandhi's remark "Maut ka Saudagar" (merchant of death) comment made against Modi during the 2007 Gujarat Assembly election.

Launching a blistering attack on the Gandhi scion, the senior BJP leader said Rahul Gandhi had no grounds to attack Modi since he himself had humiliated Manmohan Singh by shooting down a cabinet decision when the Congress-led UPA was in power.

Urging the people to vote out what he called a corrupt and inefficient Congress government of Chief Minister Harish Rawat, Shah said the people of the hill state should vote to change the fate of Uttarakhand.

"Vote for the BJP and give us a majority," he told the gathering.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hit out at PM Modi for his raincoat jibe at former prime minister Manmohan Singh saying the event was "saddening and shameful".

"When a Prime Minister reduces himself to ridiculing his predecessor-years his senior, he hurts the dignity of the parliament & the nation.

"He demeans his position and himself more than anyone else. Today's events were saddening and frankly; they were shameful," Gandhi tweeted.

Perhaps avenging former PM Manmohan Singh's strident criticism of the note ban, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched a surprise attack on him, saying that politicians should learn from Singh how to maintain a clean image even after 35 long years of public life dotted with scams under his stewardship.

"For around 35 years, he (Manmohan) has had a say or a role in India's economic policy and decisions. In these 35 years, we heard of many a scam, but he has remained free of any blemish,” the PM said.

"There is a lot for us politicians to learn... so much happened he did not get even a taint. Only Doctor Sahab (Manmohan Singh) knows the art of bathing wearing a rain coat," he said in a jibe, resulting to a huge uproar from Congress benches.”