Union minister Smriti Irani on Friday slammed Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar over his promise to construct Lord Hanuman temples in the state.

“I want to tell DK Shivakumar that he is not going to become the CM, so it is better if he does not make the temple promise”, Irani told news agency ANI.

The union minister's remark comes day after Shivakumar said the Congress if voted to power will construct new Hanuman temples in the state.

“We are committed to developing the Hanuman temples across the state with immediate effect, after coming to power. Our government will also construct new Hanuman temples across the state. There is no doubt about Congress winning the elections. We are getting at least 140 to 150 seats on May 13", he told reporters in Mysuru on Thursday.

Iranis' cabinet colleague Anurag Thakur also slammed the grand old party over Shivakumar's temple pledge. "Appeasement politics is drowning the Congress. Congress has always suffered whenever they called Hindu terrorism", the minister said.

Shivakumar's promise comes amid the backlash being faced by the Congress over its manifesto which had equated Bajrang Dal and the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI).

“We believe that law and Constitution is sacrosanct and can not be violated by individuals and Organisations like Bajrang Dal, PFI or others promoting enmity or hatred, whether among majority or minority communities. We will take decisive action as per law including imposing a ban on any such organisations”, the Congress manifesto had stated, triggering a massive political storm in the poll-bound state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been leading the BJP charge against the Congress over the Bajrang Dal row, chanting ‘Jai Bajrangbali’ at all the poll rallies.

""In this election, Congress is seeking votes in the name of its leader who is retiring...the other way in which they are seeking votes is by abusing Modi... ."Will anyone in Karnataka accept this culture of abuse? What will you (people) do this time? Will you punish them? Will you punish the abusers?... When you press the button in the polling booth, punish them by saying 'Jai Bajrangbali", he had said in a rally at Uttar Kannada district on Wednesday.