Accusing party president Mallikarjun Kharge of disrespecting President Droupadi Murmu and her tribal identity through his comments at a public rally, the BJP on Tuesday attacked the Congress, demanding a public apology for “stoking public ire”.
Speaking at an event in Raipur in Chhattisgarh on Monday, Kharge had raised the issue of large-scale cutting of trees in the state’s forests and said, “They just talk big; we made Murma ji President of India, we made (Ram Nath) Kovind President. Yes, you did, but for what? To snatch our property? To snatch our jungles? To stop our water? They have done this to snatch our land…”.
On Tuesday, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia alleged at a press conference that Kharge was “a remote-controlled president” and his statement was at the behest of the Leader of the Opposition (LOP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.
“The objectionable words that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge ji has used for President of India Droupadi Murmu ji goes to show that an anti-adivasi mentality runs in the DNA of the Congress. They have (also) disrespected former President Ram Nath Kovind — (this is) anti-Dalit mentality,” Bhatia alleged.
“The same Rahul Gandhi who roams around with a copy of the Constitution in his hand, it is on his instruction that the remote-controlled president (of the Congress) Mallikarjun Kharge ji makes such objectionable statements,” he added.
Kharge’s comments had triggered criticism across the adivasi and Dalit communities, as well as among women, for deliberately disrespecting President Murmu and her predecessor.
Accusing the LOP of “injecting poison” in national politics by allegedly giving his go-ahead for “anti-adivasi, anti-Dalit, anti-women and anti-constitutional” allegations such as the President “snatching” away land and resources to imply that she was part of a land mafia, Bhatia questioned whether respect for the Constitution was not negatively impacted through such “baseless accusations” devoid of proof.
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“Is this how you will strengthen India? Is this how you will discharge your duty as Leader of Opposition?…the whole country knows that if there is any land mafia, it is the fake Gandhi family, which also includes Robert Vadra,” he alleged.
Citing other statements from Congress leaders which were allegedly questionable in this regard, Bhatia gave an example of senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury tendering a written apology for a similar remark against President Murmu.
He also accused the Congress of leaving no constitutional office or body in the country that it had not exhibited disrespect or attacked the reputation of, citing personal attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar and bodies such as the Election Commission of India, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation, among others.
“This is not a slip of tongue, this is very much intentional, and the remote-controlled president governed by the fake Gandhi-surnamed family is following the diktats of Rahul Gandhi…if Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in writing apologised, we ask…would Mallikarjun Kharge also render a written apology for his distasteful and derogatory remark made against the President of India as well as the former President of India who represent the Scheduled Tribe community and the Scheduled Caste community who are epitome of hard work…have inspired hard work to rise to the highest constitutional office,” he demanded.
