Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday alleged that Sitaram Kesri, who was from a "Dalit and exploited community", was not allowed to complete his term as the Congress president so that Sonia Gandhi could take over the reins of the party.

Speaking at a poll rally in Chhattisgarh, Modi claimed that Kesri was ousted unceremoniously, "was locked in a bathroom" and "thrown out on the footpath". "The Congress had said a chaiwala became the prime minister by the grace of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. I challenged them (to show that) when he (Nehru) had established such a democratic and liberal system, then make someone from outside the Gandhi family the Congress president for at least five years," he said.