After Rahul Gandhi's UC Berkeley speech, Venkaiah Naidu says dynasty nasty, cannot go along with democracy

A few days after Rahul Gandhi kicked up the 'dynasty' debate during a speech in University of California in Berkeley, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu said "dynasty and democracy cannot go together".

Staying true to his love for words, Venkaiah Naidu said, "Dynasty is nasty but tasty to some people".

The Vice-President, however, steered clear from naming anyone and said "not speaking about a party or person".

"I am not keeping in mind any particular party as someone recently said that everybody is trying to follow each other. But the point is that in a democracy, character, calibre, capacity and conduct (should matter), and not caste, community or cash," Venkaiah Naidu said at a book launch in New Delhi on Friday.

Talking about dynasty politics in India at UC, Berkeley, Rahul Gandhi said that "Most parties in India have that problem. So... Mr Akhilesh Yadav is a dynast. Mr Stalin is a dynast... even Abhishek Bachchan is a dynast".

"So that's how India runs. So don't get after me because that's how they India is run," the Congress vice-president said while admitting that "around 2012, arrogance crept into the Congress party and we stopped having conversations with people".

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi's speech in University of California, Berkeley, BJP leader and Union minister Smriti Irani said, "A failed dynast today chose to speak about his failed political journeys in the US".

BJP chief Amit Shah also took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi and said that some Opposition leaders are delivering speeches abroad as no one in the country wants to listen to them. "Some of these leaders go abroad and give speeches there. They are scared to speak in front of their own countrymen," Amit Shah said in Kolkata.

ALSO WATCH: Rahul renews attack on Modi government in Berkeley, says note ban caused tremendous damage