Sudershan Reddy talking of saving country's soul and meeting Lalu Yadav is hypocrisy in extreme: BJP

New Delhi: The BJP on Monday slammed joint opposition's vice presidential candidate B Sudershan Reddy for meeting RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav in his campaign, claiming that reaching out to a leader convicted in corruption cases has exposed his hypocrisy.

This is hypocrisy in extreme, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters, as he took a jibe at Reddy, a former Supreme Court judge, for seeking votes for saving the soul of India and making other "big talks".

Reddy talks of saving the soul of India and is meeting someone not only convicted in fodder scam but also facing more corruption charges, including offering jobs in the railways in lieu of bribe, Prasad said.

"What kind of a retired Supreme Court judge you are. Lalu Prasad Yadav is not even a voter in the election. Please do not talk of saving soul...This is hypocrisy in extreme. We condemn his conduct," he said.

The former law minister was also critical of several retired judges who had defended the opposition vice presidential candidate against Home Minister Amit Shah's criticism of Reddy for his judgement as a member of Supreme Court double bench which had disbanded Salwa Judum, a civil militia which worked with police in fighting Maoists.

The BJP has been saying it showed his sympathy with naxalites.

Prasad questioned their "silence", alleging that Reddy has acted below the dignity expected of a retired judge by meeting Yadav, whose party RJD has backed his candidature.

In his press conference, the BJP leader also criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as a casual politician for his reported personal trip abroad currently when he should have visited flood-hit states like Karnataka and Punjab.

Gandhi must be thinking that let him take a break after some work, he said.

"Rahul Gandhi, let me remind you there is no break in public life. If you are a leader, you have to be available for people's cause," Prasad said.

His reference to Gandhi came as he targeted Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for allegedly shrugging off the pain of a farmer who lost crops in his four-acre farms in Kalaburgi, the traditional political constituency of Kharge, due to heavy rains.

Prasad noted that Kharge told him that he himself had suffered damaged in his 40-acre farm.

What kind of arrogance is this, Prasad asked, noting that the farmer wanted to convey his pain as the Congress is in power in Karnataka and the region was Kharge's former constituency.

The Congress, he said, makes claims about being with farmers. Everything Rahul Gandhi has said in support of farmers should be released, he added.

The BJP leader also slammed the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh for withdrawing an order for the hike in salary of government employees, which he said was issued by the previous dispensation headed by his party, due to the state's poor finances.

This is the "khatakhat model" of the Congress as it deceives and cheats people for votes, he alleged.

While the governance model of the BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visible in the expected fall in the prices of different products following the GST rate cut while ensuring a high growth rate, the Congress is unable to handle governance wherever it is in power, he added.

Prasad showed a Congress poster displayed in his Lok Sabha constituency Patna Sahib in Bihar, saying it promises Rs 28 lakh to people. He accused Gandhi of trying to make a fool of people in the poll-bound state.