Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 26 Oct: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today staged protests across Uttarakhand, and strongly condemned what it has described as objectionable remarks made by Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP workers burnt effigies of Kharge in districts across the state and demanded a public apology from the Congress leadership.
State BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt strongly criticised Kharge’s comments, saying they reflected the extent of animosity harboured by those who claim to run a “shop of love” towards Prime Minister Modi.
The BJP workers held demonstrations in all the districts of the state in protest against what the party termed an offensive remark made by Kharge regarding the Prime Minister’s father. It may be recalled that in a Congress event in Bihar, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had allegedly referred to Modi’s father in a derogatory manner. During the protests, party workers raised slogans, burnt effigies of the Congress president and expressed outrage over the remarks. They also collectively demanded that Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge publicly apologise to the Prime Minister without delay.
Expressing strong displeasure over the controversy, Bhatt said Congress leaders have completely forgotten the principles of propriety and values in public life. He alleged that repeated electoral defeats have left the party leadership frustrated to the extent that all limits of dignified political discourse had been crossed. Referring to past controversies, he claimed that Congress leaders had earlier used objectionable language against the Prime Minister’s mother and are now making similar remarks about his father. He added that when such comments come from the national president of a major political party, it is natural for the BJP workers to feel aggrieved.
Bhatt said that the BJP workers across the country have voiced their protest and have demanded an apology from the Congress leadership. He maintained that such objectionable and shameful statements can’t be accepted in a democratic system in any form.
He further expressed surprise that such remarks are being made by leaders associated with Rahul Gandhi, who frequently speaks about a “shop of love”. Bhatt alleged that the language used by Kharge against Modi once again demonstrated the level of hostility that existed towards the Prime Minister among those making claims of promoting love and harmony.
The BJP leader also alleged that such statements are influenced by what he described as Rahul Gandhi’s own criticism of Prime Minister Modi. He claimed that there is a growing tendency within the Congress to use derogatory language in order to please its leadership. Bhatt further alleged that the people of the country and the state are observing the conduct of Congress leaders and would be responding by extending their support to the BJP in elections.
