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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday responded to the Election Commission of India (ECI) issuing a notice to him over 'terrorist' remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that "our people will reply to it".
Speaking to reporters here, Kharge said, "Notice aane do. (Let the notice come). We will reply to it in the evening. Our people will reply to it." Reacting to the issue, Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal defended Kharge and criticised Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over his remarks on Mallikarjun Kharge, alleging disrespect towards a senior political leader. Speaking to ANI, he said, "He has forgotten how to make remarks upon an elderly National President of a party. He should remember the civilised and cultural identity of the state. BJP and RSS believe that all knowledge and wisdom reside solely with them and that others are inferior to them. This statement implied the same." Earlier on Wednesday, Fadnavis had lashed out at Kharge over his comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling them a result of "frustration following repeated losses" and demanding an apology. Addressing the media, he said, "I condemn the statement of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. This is the frustration following the repeated losses. The public always gives an answer to these kinds of statements made by the Congress leaders. Mallikarjun Kharge should apologise for the statement." The political exchange comes after Kharge sparked a controversy on the last day of Tamil Nadu election campaigning, when the Congress president criticised the AIADMK for supporting the BJP and labelled PM Modi a "terrorist who does not believe in equality". When questioned on the choice of words, Kharge defended himself, claiming that he meant to say that the PM was terrorising his political opponents. "He (PM Modi) is terrorising people and political parties. I never said he is a terrorist. What I mean, I want to clarify, is that Modi always threatens. The institutions like ED, I-T and CBI are in his hands. He wants to take delimitation also into his hands," Kharge said. The ECI on Wednesday issued a stern 24-hour ultimatum to Mallikarjun Kharge, demanding an explanation for his controversial remark directed at Prime Minister Modi during the high-decibel Tamil Nadu Assembly election campaign. (ANI)
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