NEW DELHI: In sharp escalation of their war of words, Priyanka Gandhi fired yet another salvo at cousin Varun Gandhi saying the Lok Sabha elections is “an ideological war” and that his actions amounted to “betrayal” of the family, The Hindu said on Tuesday.

The passage at arms between the two cousins occurred early in the morning on Tuesday from across nearby towns in the midst of electioneering as Mr Varun Gandhi filed his nomination from Sultanpur constituency.

Mr Varun Gandhi also hit back at her suggesting she was “crossing limits of decency” and said that one cannot raise one’s stature by belittling somebody.

Ms Priyanka Gandhi, who was campaigning for her brother in Amethi, said, “This is not a family tea party. It is an ideological war. I believe anybody, no matter how close they are, own blood relations...if they are going to be on that side of the ideological divide.

“He had expressed his views in the last elections and I do not agree with them at all. I strongly disagree with them.

“It is a betrayal of my family. My father died for the unity of this country. I cannot disregard it for anybody even if it is my own child.”

She was apparently referring to the controversy Mr Varun Gandhi had created in the last elections when he addressed an election rally in Pilibhit constituency which was widely denounced as a hate speech.

A couple of days earlier she had remarked that Mr Varun Gandhi had gone “astray” and should be shown the right path.

Breaking his silence over cousin Priyanka Gandhi’s remark that he has gone “astray”, BJP general secretary Varun Gandhi on Tuesday suggested that she has crossed the “lakshman rekha of decency” and said nobody could raise one’s stature by belittling somebody.

The 34-year-old BJP leader also said that his “decency and large-heartedness” should not be construed as a weakness by anyone.

Mr Varun Gandhi, who filed his nomination from Sultanpur Lok Sabha seat after holding a massive road show there, also chose the occasion to hail the leadership of Narendra Modi after remaining silent over him for over a month during his campaign in his new parliamentary constituency bordering Amethi and Rae Bareli, the Nehru-Gandhi family pocketborough.

Four local BJP leaders signed as proposers in his nomination.

Hardselling his son of the soil image, the BJP general secretary repeatedly invoked his father Sanjay Gandhi’s name while addressing a public meeting in the city drawing cheers from the crowd.

Talking of his commitment to the politics of decency and decorum, he claimed that he never crossed the “lakshman rekha of decency” against his family members or senior leaders of opposition parties.

Mr Varun Gandhi, an MP from Plibhit, switched to Sultanpur this time and is considered to be in a strong position.