India's BJP Slams Aam Aadmi Party Over Video Mocking Modi's Hundred-Year-Old Mother

Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Gujarat leader Gopal Italia has put the party in a spot of bother ahead of state assembly polls in December. In videos doing the rounds on the internet, he's purportedly seen mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his 100-year-old mother.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed its rival, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), on Friday after a clip of AAP Gujarat chief Gopal Italia surfaced online in which he reportedly makes disparaging remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother Hiraben Modi.

Federal minister and BJP parliamentarian Smriti Irani claimed that the people of Gujarat will not forget the insult against PM Modi's mother and will teach AAP a lesson by decimating it in the upcoming state polls.

"If you think abusing the prime minister's mother will help you gain political popularity in Gujarat, you are mistaken. And for that mistake, Gujarat and Gujaratis will make you pay the political price in the forthcoming elections," Irani told reporters in Delhi on Friday.

The minister added that by insulting the PM's mother, who is not involved in politics, the AAP made an "absolutely unforgivable" mistake.

"Her only crime is not that she is in politics but she gave birth to Narendra Modi who is thwarting your (AAP’s) political designs."

The minister's words came a day after Italia was detained by the Delhi Police before being released on Thursday. He was summoned by the National Commission for Women to explain reportedly derogatory remarks about female BJP politicians and PM Modi in another video clip.

In a separate incident, Italia also reportedly urged women not to visit Hindu temples because they have turned into "exploitation hubs."

The AAP leadership, including party boss Kejriwal, has continuously defended Italia, alleging that the BJP singles him out due to its fear of losing the state election.

Gujarat has been a BJP stronghold since the 1990s, with the party vying to win its seventh straight term in the state in December.

In the last state polls in 2017, the BJP won 99 seats while the AAP won none.

The AAP is pulling out all the stops to end BJP's winning streak in Gujarat with Kejriwal and other top politicians paying multiple visits to the state in the last few months.