Berlusconi says will get drunk if Monti loses polls

Italy's former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has said he will celebrate if caretaker premier Mario Monti and his allies lose the coming parliamentary elections.

Parliamentary elections in Italy are scheduled for Feb 24-25.

"If Monti, Fini and Casini won't be let into the Chamber of Deputies, I'll get drunk. I guess it's time to put some sparkling wine into my fridge. There is a possibility that I'll get drunk within the next few days," Berlusconi said Sunday speaking at a campaign event in Turin.

Chamber of Deputies speaker Gianfranco Fini responded by saying that "Berlusconi is already drunk with all that nonsense he has been saying".

Electoral rhetoric in austerity-hit Italy intensified as parliamentary campaign nears its end. Earlier, Berlusconi described Monti as "a person who knows nothing about economy", while Monti called Berlusconi a "scoundrel" in his recent TV speech.