Modi's 'TOP' priority draws Congress' ridicule, BJP retorts 'classy' INC

Modi said farmers are his top priority and described 'TOP' as tomato, onion, and potato during a rally in Karnataka

Congress social media head and Karnataka leader Divya Spandana Ramya on Monday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi wondering if he was on "pot", a put-down which invited a sharp response from the BJP by calling it atrocious and "insult" to the masses.

Ramya's swipe came following Modi's comment in a rally in Karnataka during which he said farmers are his top priority and described 'TOP' as tomato, onion, and potato.

She tweeted, "Is this what happens when you're on POT?"

Modi was at a public rally to mark the culmination of Karnataka BJP's 'Parivarthana Yatra' that crisscrossed the entire state covering all the 224 assembly constituencies.

Modi said, "Those growing vegetables and fruits are among our top priority. When I say TOP, I mean whichever part of the country you go, three vegetables are very much visible -- Tomato, Onion, and Potato."

The BJP hit back at Ramya for her choice of words with party spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao tweeting, "Most people of the country and our party members won't even know what you are referring to (including PM himself) but your Leader will connect with it instantly. While you have insulted people of India with your atrocious comment, your leader will be proud of you!!"

BJP's IT wing head Amit Malviya said more than 3,500 farmers have committed suicide in Karnataka, the highest for any state in India, but "speaking for them is being on 'POT'... Congress keeps it classy, again".

"Will Rahul Gandhi maintain silence on Divya Spandana's comment while he sacked Mani Shankar Aiyar just because his jibe came close to Gujarat election and Karnataka is still some months away? Or sacrificing his close aide, responsible for his rise as a leader, takes some courage?" he asked in a tweet.

The Congress had suspended Aiyar from the party for his "neech" (lowly) jibe at Modi during the Gujarat Assembly polls.