New Delhi: In a counter attack on BJP's (Bharatiya Janata Party) criticism that the Gandhi family promoted dynastic politics, Congress today (mar 28, 2004) attacked the saffron party and its allies as "hypocrites" who promoted their children and relatives.

The BJP should justify the reason for fielding Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's niece Karuna Shukla, the sons of Finance Minister Jaswant Singh and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and a "host of others" in the coming Lok Sabha elections, Congress spokesman Kapil Sibal said.

Sibal gave a long list of political leaders encouraging their wards in politics and said, "If this is a reality in Indian politics, why focus only on the Gandhi family?"

"Basically all political parties are afraid of the Gandhis. They are afraid of their charisma. They are the progenies of Nehru family, all members of which had taken a plunge in the nationalist movement. You cannot take that away from them (Gandhi siblings)," he said.

He threw a challenge at the BJP and its allies saying that it should be the electorate who should decide between Sonia Gandhi on one side and the Bangaru Laxman, Judeo and D P Yadav on the other side.

But the BJP was raking up "Videshi Mool" (foreign origin) of Sonia Gandhi only as an emotive issue during the election though there was "no logical, constitutional or legal impediments" for her to become the Prime Minister.

This is so, especially, after she became the leader of Opposition in the last Lok Sabha after defeating the "Swadeshi bahu" (daughter-in-law) Sushma Swaraj of BJP, he added.

Asked whether Priyanka would contest, Sibal parried the question but said she would certainly campaign for the party.