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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has staged a protest outside the Deputy Commissioners office in Shimla on Monday against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharges alleged objectionable remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modis late father, with tensions escalating into a scuffle between police and party workers during an attempt to burn Kharges effigy.
Addressing reporters after the protest, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sikander Kumar strongly condemned the remarks, describing them as contrary to Indian culture and values. He warned that the BJP would organise protests across the country if Congress leaders continued to use such language against the Prime Minister and his family. The BJP strongly condemns these remarks and will not tolerate such language. It is against Indian culture and our values, Kumar said. Accusing the Congress of attempting to mislead the public on issues such as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the Constitution, Kumar said the party had crossed the limits of political propriety. He also referred to remarks allegedly made by Congress leaders about the Prime Ministers late mother and called for restraint in political discourse. If they do not stop using such language, the BJP will organise protests against the Congress across the country, and the party will have to face the consequences, he said. Speaking to ANI later, Kumar alleged that the police had prevented BJP workers from burning Kharges effigy, although the protesters eventually managed to burn it in the presence of police personnel and members of the public. In a democracy, everyone has the right to protest. However, we were not allowed to burn Mallikarjun Kharges effigy. Despite this, our workers managed to burn it in front of the police and the people of Shimla, Kumar said. He reiterated that the BJP would intensify its protests if Congress leaders continued to make statements that the party considers objectionable. Kumar also hit back at the Congress over its proposed November 1 mega rally in Delhi, where the party plans to raise the slogan Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod (Vote Thieves, Quit Power) and highlight its allegations of electoral manipulation. Questioning the Congresss allegations, Kumar asked what the party meant by vote theft and defended the SIR exercise, saying electoral roll revisions had been conducted repeatedly since Independence, including during Congress governments. He said a person shifting from Shimla to Delhi could have their name transferred from the electoral roll in Shimla to the one in Delhi, but should not be registered as a voter at both places. He also maintained that the names of deceased persons should not remain on electoral rolls. Kumar further referred to episodes from Indias political history, including the selection of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru as prime minister, the election case involving former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and the electoral history of Dr BR Ambedkar, while questioning the Congresss allegations of electoral malpractice. He also claimed that the Congress had approached the courts over the SIR exercise but had failed to obtain relief. Defending Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar against criticism from Congress leaders, the BJP MP maintained that electoral roll revision was an established process. (ANI)
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