NEW DELHI: In a controversial statement, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Thursday said that the BJP parliamentarians won't hug Congress President Rahul Gandhi because if they do, their wives might give them divorce. He said this a day after Gandhi said that BJP MPs take "two steps back" on seeing him fearing he may embrace them too.


"Yes, we do fear to hug Rahul Gandhi because we are married and our wives might divorce us if we hug him," he said.

"Also, Section 377 hasn't been scrapped by the Supreme Court as yet. If we embrace him, is there a guarantee that people won't file a case against us?" he told ANI.

He said the BJP MPs will only hug Gandhi once he gets married.

"We fear the court and our wives. If Gandhi gets married then he will understand."


Gandhi, who was severely criticised by the BJP leaders for hugging Modi during his speech on the no-confidence motion against the government last week, on Wednesday said: "It is very interesting how this works, because now whenever I come across BJP MPs, they take two steps back... we have to be careful he is going to hug us."

He said he may have a difference of opinion with the ruling party leaders and he can fight them, but he doesn't need to hate them.

"You can fight someone with all your might, but hate is a choice... And I think that is something that is very important to understand. I may disagree with Mr (L K) Advani, I may have a completely different conception of the country from that of Mr Advani. And I can fight Mr Advani on every single inch, but I don't need to hate him," Gandhi had said at a book launch.