India, April 5 -- Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his allegation that he had sided with those who attacked nuns in Chhattisgarh, terming the remarks "ignorant and an instance of excessive rhetoric."

The arrest of two Catholic nuns from Kerala in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh in July last year on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion triggered a political row in the State, with Congress and CPI(M) targeting the saffron party over the incident.

In a strongly worded statement, Vijayan said Rahul appeared to have forgotten the Congress party's role in enabling legal provisions that are now being "misused" against minorities, including nuns, in BJP-ruled States.

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