NEW DELHI, Apr 22: A BJP delegation comprising three Union ministers, including Nirmala Sitharaman, approached the Election Commission on Wednesday, demanding “strictest action” against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for his “terrorist” remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Sitharaman said, “Today, we appeared before the full commission to bring to its notice that no less a person than the president of the Congress and the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha has spoken in such condemnable words.
Kharge chose to call the prime minister a “terrorist” while addressing a press conference in Tamil Nadu, an election-bound state, the finance minister said, terming the Congress chief’s remark “outrageous”.
“It’s an insult to the mandate given by the people of India (to Prime Minister Modi). More importantly, it is an insult to the entire system where people choose their leader through elections, and once chosen, he is the leader for the entire country,” Sitharaman said.
She also alleged that the Congress is “completely frustrated” and making such remarks against the prime minister amid assembly polls in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal because of its “deep hatred” towards Modi.
“We have demanded that the Election Commission take the matter in all seriousness. We requested the poll panel to act firmly and sternly,” she said.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who was also part of the delegation, termed the remark a “disgusting act” by Kharge.
“We have demanded the strictest action. We have also demanded that Kharge and the Congress be directed to apologise to the country,” Rijiju told reporters. He said the Commission gave a patient hearing to the BJP delegation and assured that it will take “appropriate action” in the matter.
“The Election Commission should take such action in the matter that nobody ever dares to call the country’s prime minister a terrorist. Everyone should learn a lesson. We hope the Election Commission will definitely take action,” the senior BJP leader said.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and BJP national general secretary Arun Singh were also part of the delegation.
The development followed after Kharge accused Prime Minister Modi of terrorising political parties and people by misusing government machinery and central agencies to stifle the opposition.
Addressing a press conference in Chennai, the Congress chief initially referred to the prime minister as a “terrorist” while criticising the AIADMK’s alliance with the BJP.
However, when pressed by reporters to clarify the context of the remark, the Congress chief said he meant the prime minister was “terrorising” the democratic fabric of the country.
“He is terrorising people and political parties. I never said he is a terrorist (in the literal sense). He is misusing his power and government machinery and abusing and maligning opposition parties,” Kharge said.
On Tuesday, the BJP had urged the Election Commission to take immediate cognisance of Kharge’s remark and direct the Congress president to submit a public apology.
In a memorandum to the poll panel, it also demanded that “suitable penal and regulatory proceedings” be initiated against Kharge for his remark under various sections of the BNS, and “appropriate campaign restrictions” be imposed on him.
The BJP also said that its delegations comprising Sitharaman, Rijiju and Meghwal will meet the EC on Wednesday to raise the issue. (Agencies)
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