New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday said Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the people of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for saying that they go to Maharashtra to beg.

"We strongly condemn this insulting statement of Rahul Gandhi. He should introspect and ask as to why youth of rural India, particularly UP and Bihar, need to migrate in search of jobs," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told reporters here.

He blamed the backwardness in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to the long rule of Congress and its "supporting parties".

"Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were ruled by Congress and its supporting parties for more than 50 years. The Congress is responsible for making Uttar Pradesh and Bihar backward," Javadekar said.

Praising the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Bihar, he said in the last seven years, the state has seen reversal of migration because of policies which led to job growth.