After Modi, Raje’s “khooni haath” remark sparks row

After BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s ‘khooni panja’ remark during election campaign, the party’s chief ministerial candidate in Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje on Wednesday used the term “khooni haath” (bloody hand) to refer to the Congress's election symbol.

Addressing an election meeting in Barmer's Siwana constituency, Ms. Raje appealed to voters to vote for the BJP by using the “khooni haath” reference.

“Aap logon ko mai keh rahi hoon...jab tak ye Congress ka haath hai na...ispe kamal ka phool nahi hota, tab tak khooni haath hai (As long as this hand is of the Congress...till it does not have a lotus symbol, its a bloody hand),” said Ms. Raje, while holding up her hands showing a mehndi inscribed lotus symbol on her palms.

Taking strong objection to Ms. Raje’s statement State Congress spokesperson Satyendra Singh Raghav told

The Hindu “their PM candidate is facing the consequences of using that term for the Congress...and now their CM candidate has also done the same thing...we will complain to the Election Commission and request them to take strict action against her.”

However, the BJP claimed the statement had been quoted out of context.

“It is being needlessly blown out of proportion...she never referred to the Congress symbol,” BJP spokesperson Kailash Nath Bhatt told

The Hindu .

“By khooni haath, all she meant was the hands that kill, rape, commit acts of terrorism and the general deterioration of law and order and rising crimes,” said Mr. Bhatt.