India, Oct. 26 -- Even as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi paid tribute to former Congress president Sitaram Kesri for the first time at the old party headquarters on his 25th death anniversary, the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi seized the opportunity to target the grand old party, recalling how Kesri was locked up inside the bathroom and how he was manhandled.

Rahul Gandhi, who has been talking about the rights of Dalits, the backwards and the downtrodden, remembered Kesri-who has been binned to insignificance in party history by paying floral tributes.

Kesri was unceremoniously ousted as party president in March 1998 during a CWC meeting, with a resolution to strip him of his president post and to pave the way...