From correspondents in Delhi, India, 09:02 PM IST

Taking a dig at the recent controversy triggered by Congress veteran Arjun Singh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday asked the ruling party leaders not to behave like 'pets'.

In a clear reference to Human Resource Development (HRD) minister Singh, who has been making conflicting statements on loyalty within the Congress, BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said: 'We feel that in a large country like India where democracy has matured and when the world is looking up to us, senior leaders of the Congress party should stop behaving like pets'.

Some Congress leaders utterances were a 'disgrace to democracy', he said.

'I am concerned about the standards of democracy in the country,' Rudy added.

Earlier this week, Singh sparked a controversy asserting that the Congress shunned internal democracy. The comment drew sharp criticism from senior party colleagues.

However, Singh retracted a day later after being cold-shouldered by Congress president Sonia Gandhi at a public function.

Yet Singh kept the controversy going by asserting Monday that he was a 'loyalist' to the Gandhi family even though not a 'sycophant.'

(Staff Writer, © IANS)