Sonipat (Haryana): Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has again targeted Sonia Gandhi, this time over her return as the Congress chief after a three-month search by the party to choose a president, using the Hindi proverb "Khoda Pahad Nikli Chuhiya". Addressing a poll rally in Kharkhoda here on Sunday, Khattar launched a fierce attack on the Congress and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), asking the voters to show the door to these "family-based parties".

The Congress was quick to hit back, saying the remark by the chief minister showed the "anti-woman" character of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and demanded an immediate apology. "The chief minister's remarks are inappropriate, he stooped to the lowest level and it also shows the anti-women character of the BJP. We strongly condemn his remark and demand that he must immediately tender an apology," the Congress party tweeted. At the rally, Khattar said the Congress took three months to look for a national president outside the Gandhi family, but in the end, chose the family again and Sonia Gandhi became the interim chief.