"It is BJP’s bad luck that they do not have someone as beautiful as Priyanka Gandhi in their party. They only have khurdure (ugly, rough) faces. They have one Hema Malini and they keep using her to do classical dance across the country to earn votes."

This is what fellow Congress leader and Madhya Pradesh minister Sajjan Singh Verma said, when asked about BJP’s misogyny-laden reactions to Priyanka Gandhi’s political plunge.

After a string of politicians, including those of the ruling BJP, came up with a variety of sexist comments on Priyanka Gandhi’s joining active politics, now, her own party member and MP minister has also joined the bandwagon.

Sajjan Singh Verma, MP min: BJP ka durbhagya hai ki unki party mein khurdure chehre hain, aise chehre jinko log napasand karte hain. Ek Hema Malini hai, usko jagah jagah shastriya nritya karate rehte hain, vote kamane ki koshish karte hain. Chikne chehre unke paas nahi hain.(1/2) pic.twitter.com/h0DcQrfWOR ANI (@ANI) January 27, 2019





Not only that, according to ANI, Verma also said, Chikne chehre unke paas nahi hain. (They don’t have any pretty faces).

ANI also quoted Sajjan Verma as saying, "Mera ye kehna hai ki eshwar ke pradatt manav hota hai...Arey sarahna karo ki eshwar ne Priyanka Gandhi ko itna sundar banaya hai jisse mamatva, sneh jhalakta hai. Aise shabdon ka istemal karke apni garima Kailash ji aur BJP gira rahi hai. (You should appreciate that God made Priyanka Gandhi so beautifyl. Her beauty reflects her love and respect for her people. Kailash ji and BJP should not use such words to pull themselves down)."

Verma was referring to BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya calling Priyanka Gandhi "chocolatey face".

Addressing a meeting, Vijayvargiya said that it is the dearth of strong leaders in the party which has made it dependent on "chocolatey" faces for 2019 Lok Sabha poll glory.

Kailash Vijayvargiya also said that Priyanka Gandhi’s entry into politics shows the Congress party does not have confidence and strong leaders to field in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. "For this reason, it wants to fight polls through these chocolatey faces," he said.

Earlier, Bihar minister Vinod Narayan Jha stirred the hornet's nest by making a sexist comment on Priyanka Gandhi.

"Votes cannot be won on the basis of beautiful faces. Moreover, she is the wife of Robert Vadra who is accused of involvement in a land scam case and several corruption cases. She's very beautiful. But other than that she holds no political achievement or talent," Jha was quoted as saying by ANI.

Jha, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, is currently a cabinet minister in the Nitish Kumar government.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, too, joined the league of politicians who have touched new lows to make such remarks against Priyanka Gandhi.

Swamy claimed on Sunday that Priyanka Gandhi suffers from bipolar disorder and beats up people.