New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Indian cricket team’s loss against Australia in the World Cup final, saying his remark reflected the values his family imbibed in him.

“Rahul Gandhi is a bad omen (panauti) for 140 crore Indians who ousted him and his family from power and unearthed their scams… I am feeling sorry for Rahul Gandhi who has received such values from his family that resulted in him using abusive words against the country’s prime minister… I condemn his remark,” BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said.

Referring to Gandhi calling PM Modi ‘panauti’ (bad omen), Lok Sabha MP and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad demanded an apology from the Congress stalwart.

“What happened to you, Rahul Gandhi? You are using such words for the prime minister of the country. Our Prime Minister met the players and motivated them. Winning or losing is part of the game. Rahul Gandhi needs to apologise,” Prasad said.

He also reminded Gandhi of his mother’s old remark.

“You need to learn from the past. Your mother (Sonia Gandhi) used the word ‘Maut ka saudagar‘ (dealer of deaths) for Narendra Modi and see where the Congress is now,” he added.

Sonia Gandhi had called PM Modi ‘maut ka saudagar‘ (merchant of death) in 2007 during the Gujarat polls. The BJP scored a landslide victory in the polls, leading to Modi’s return to power as the Gujarat chief minister. The BJP and some poll pundits later attributed the BJP’s win to Gandhi’s remark.

Also read: ‘Panauti’: Rahul Gandhi attributes India’s World Cup loss to PM Narendra Modi’s presence

PM Modi attended the India vs Australia cricket final in the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad. After India lost the match, Modi went to the dressing room of the Indian cricket team and consoled the dejected players.

Rahul Gandhi, in an election rally in Rajasthan, said it was due to Modi’s presence that India lost the match.

“Our guys were playing well, they would have won the world cup. But ‘Panauti’ made us lose. The TV guys won’t tell you this but people know,” Rahul said, while campaigning at Rajasthan’s Barmer on Monday, without naming PM Modi.

With inputs from ANI