The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Congress of resorting to tactics to tarnish the image of the country and specifically stain the reputation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra on Tuesday said that the Congress party has prepared a toolkit wherein it has instructed party workers to call the mutant strain as "Modi strain". He also alleged that the "Congress toolkit" has also suggested calling the Kumbh Mela the "Super Spreader Kumbh."

"The toolkit highlights how the Congress party wants to strengthen itself using the pandemic. It has exposed the intentions and its attempts to spread misinformation in the country," said Sambit Patra.

Citing the columns listed under the toolkit Mr. Patra said, "Use resources created on social media to question Modi's incompetence from handles which look like Modi or BJP supporters. Roping in foreign publications is mentioned. This kind of a web is being spun. We are seeing this happen in international media. Now we know the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi are behind it."

"They are talking about magnifying the matter using images of dead bodies. My heart aches to see that the Congress is using the deceased for its toolkit. It is urging volunteers to use dependable words for Modi so that it becomes acceptable. Instead of fighting Corona, looking at ways to help patients, they are building a toolkit to demean the nation. They want 'Indian strain' to be used in articles. This has shown the true face of the Congress party. It is the same design that Rahul Gandhi follows to tweet," he added.

As he shared the pages on his Twitter account, Patra called the “toolkit” more of Congress’ "PR exercise than a soulful endeavour."

In response to the allegations, Congress leader and former Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Rajeev Gowda said that they will be filing an FIR for "forgery" against BJP president JP Nadda and Sambit Patra.

Rajeev Gowda tweeted, "When our country is devastated by COVID, instead of providing relief, BJP shamelessly concocts forgeries."

Furthermore, the Congress responded to the "toolkit", saying if the BJP "had spent as much time and effort in helping people, they wouldn't have to spread lies about the people who are doing their jobs for them."

"It is a shame that our government is more interested in maligning the opposition than protecting our people," tweeted Congress.

Image courtesy: India TV/Twitter