Bengaluru,  Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary C.T. Ravi courted controversy on Thursday by saying, "let the Congress open hukka bars in the name of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru."

The BJP leader made the statement while defending his earlier statement on renaming the Indira canteens in Karnataka as Annapoorneshwari canteens.

"Are Indira canteens five-star hotels? Congress should stop minting money in the name of Indira Gandhi. That's why I am insisting to change the name of Indira canteens," he elaborated.

"I won't ask a thing if they open hukka bar in the name of former PM Nehru. Let them open it at the Congress office, who will question them," he quipped.

Reacting to the remarks, opposition leader Siddaramiah said that these statements do not give dignity to the position of Ravi.

"He does not know history. He does not know how to respect people," Siddaramiah asserted.

Siddaramiah stated that projects in Karnataka, Delhi and Ahmedabad are named after BJP leaders, including former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Union Minister Arun Jaitley and present PM Narendra Modi. RSS leaders Veer Savarkar and Deendayal Udpadhay's names have been kept for flyovers in Bengaluru.

"Can we call all these hukka bars," he questioned.

"We don't speak about Vajpayee Ji and Advani Ji, there should be some respect while talking about national leaders," Siddaramiah stated.

KPCC Working President Eshwar Khandre said Ravi is not equal to a dust particle when it comes to the matter of former PM Jawaharlal Nehru.