Patna, April 13: Temperature continues to soar in Bihar as the poll battle intensifies, with another major war of words breaking out between the Mahagathbandhan and the NDA camps. Shortly after JD(U) vice president Prashant Kishor was involved in a verbal duel with the RJD top brass, the latter's Rabri Devi squared off with BJP's Ashwini Kumar Choubey over his contentious remarks.

Choubey stoked the controversy while reacting to Rabri's claim that Prashant Kishor had reached out to Lalu Prasad Yadav in jail ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2019, seeking a JD(U)-RJD merger with Nitish Kumar being declared the joint prime ministerial candidate. 'RJD-JD(U) Merger', 'Nitish For PM, Tejashwi For CM'? Rabri Devi Says Prashant Kishor Reached Lalu Yadav With These Offers

While deriding Rabri over her claim, Choubey ended up taking a highly sexist jibe against the former Bihar chief minister. "Rabri Devi ji ko kya kahiyega, vo toh bhabhi ji hain. Main kahunga ki aap ghungat mein hi rahiye toh zyada accha hai (What to say about her, she is our bhabhi (sister-in-law). For her, it is better to remain behind the veil," he said.

Watch Ashwini Choubey's Controversial Remarks:

Reacting to his statements, Rabri issued a counter, asking whether this reflects the BJP's approach towards women. She also targeted the central government over the "beti bachao, beti padhao" programme, saying that Chaubey, a sitting Union Minister, has insulted the country's women.

"BJP's slogan is "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" but such insult of daughters? It's insulting towards all women. I want to ask him, will he ask women leaders in BJP to stay under veil, and at home," she asked.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 13, 2019 10:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).