The BJP on Monday hit out at the Congress’s Gandhi family for their criticism of the government, terming it “one dynasty’s deep personal hatred” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BJP chief J.P. Nadda posted a series of tweets in response to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s article in a newspaper detailing how “Indian democracy is being hollowed out” under the Modi government.

“One dynasty’s deep personal hatred against a person who was born in poverty and became PM is historic,” Nadda said in a tweet. “Equally historic is the love people of India have showered upon PM @narendramodi,” he added, stressing that the Congress’s hate for Modi would only increase his popularity.

“More Congress’s lies and hate increase, the more people will support PM Modi,” Nadda said.

Apart from the BJP chief, information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar too posted tweets to attack Sonia for her article.

Both these leaders sought to project the Congress chief’s criticism of the government as a personal attack against Modi.

Sonia wrote in her article that “dissent” is branded as “anti-national” activity by the Modi government.

Javadekar in his tweet said Sonia’s article reflected her “pain” as “people gave the PM’s chair to a leader from a poor family instead of her son”.

Nadda also targeted Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of denigrating the Prime Minister’s chair.

“The Rahul Gandhi drama of burning PM’s effigy in Punjab is shameful but not unexpected. After all, the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty has NEVER respected the office of the PM,” Nadda said.

“Combination of despondency and shamelessness is dangerous.… Empty rhetoric of decency by the Mother is ‘complimented’ by live demonstrations of politics of hate, anger, lies and aggression by the Son,” he said.

Nadda referred to the Emergency, a favourite of the BJP to attack the Congress, to attack the Opposition party for “pontificating” on freedom of speech. “They (Cong) have contempt for dissenting voices for decades. We saw glimpses of it during the Emergency,” he said.

On Sonia’s charge of the Modi government using state power against dissenters, Nadda picked on the Congress-backed Maharashtra government.

“If anyone wants to see a laboratory of usage of brute state power, troubling opponents, curbing freedom of speech in trademark Congress style, see the working of the Congress blessed Maharashtra Government,” Nadda alleged. He, however, didn’t substantiate his charges.