Gandhi, khadi or charkha not 'sole property' of any political party: BJP

It adds that khadi needs to be promoted and that is the intent of the KVIC

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday hit back at the Congress over the recent controversy over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photos replacing Mahatma Gandhi on the calendar of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and said that Father of the Nation, khadi or charkha is not a soul proprietary of any political party.

"We don't subscribe to anybody's personal opinion. But the part is very clear that whether it is Gandhi ji, khadi or the charkha, it is not a sole property of any political party, organisation or ideology. We must understand that khadi needs to be promoted and that is the intent of the KVIC," BJP leader Shania NC told ANI.

Meanwhile, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra earlier in the day attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the recent Khai icon row, saying the nation would not tolerate such disrespect to the Father of the Nation.

Taking to Facebook, Vadra said in a post that Mahatma Gandhi and his title is above every political party and deserves to be protected.

Earlier on Saturday, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi took a jibe at Haryana Minister Anil Vij for his controversial statement that Prime Minister Modi was a much bigger brand that Mahatma Gandhi, saying dictators Hitler and Mussolini were also very "powerful brands."

Posting the link of an ANI video on his Twitter account where Vij made the remark, Rahul wrote saying "Hitler and Mussolini were also very powerful brands".

In a major development, Mahatma Gandhi's picture weaving khadi on a simple charkha, wearing his trademark cloth has been replaced by Prime Minister Modi's picture in the same classic pose as that of the former in the KVIC diary and calendar.