Karg accused Prime Minister Modi of terrorizing political parties and the people by misusing government machinery and central agencies to stifle the opposition.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge’s “terrorist” remarks towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an election campaign sparked outrage from the prime minister’s Bharatiya Janata Party, which filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India for action.
Karg accused Prime Minister Modi of terrorizing political parties and the people by misusing government machinery and central agencies to stifle the opposition.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday in Chennai in the poll-bound state of Tamil Nadu, the Congress president initially referred to the Prime Minister as a “terrorist” while criticizing the AIADMK’s alliance with the BJP.
Asked by reporters to clarify the context of the remarks, Karji later said he meant that the prime minister was “terrorizing” the country’s democratic fabric.
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“He is terrorizing people and political parties. I never said he is a terrorist (in the literal sense). He is terrorizing this… He is misusing his power and government machinery and is abusing and hurting the opposition parties,” news agency PTI quoted the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha as saying.
BJP goes to ECI
In a memorandum to the poll panel, the BJP demanded “appropriate penal and regulatory action” against Karg for his statements under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and imposition of “appropriate campaign restrictions” on him.
The party said its delegations, which include Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Kiren Rijiju and Arjun Ram Meghwal, will meet the European Commission on Wednesday to raise the issue.
Criticizing Karji, Rijiju said the Congress president’s remarks were not only insulting but also a “dangerous and unprecedented attack on democratic institutions”.
“We have lodged a strong complaint against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for his shocking and disgraceful remarks,” the BJP leader said in a post on X.
Rijiju described Kharge’s remarks as a “flagrant violation” of the Model Code of Conduct for Elections, stressing that immediate action was “non-negotiable.”
In the petition submitted to the Election Commission of India, the BJP termed Kharge’s remark against the Prime Minister as “grossly offensive” and a “prima facie” violation of the MCC.
“Take immediate note of the statement as a prima facie violation of the Model Code of Conduct. Direct Mallikarjun Kharge to tender a public apology/retraction and/or impose appropriate campaign restrictions or other corrective measures as per law and ECI directions,” the party said in an appeal to the poll body.
Shah says Modi has curbed terrorism completely
Amit Shah also criticized Congress for “reaching new lows in its behaviour” every day, “breaking its own record of lowering the bar of public discourse”.
He said Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge “violated all norms of public conduct and brought shame to the nation when he called India’s Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi ji a terrorist.”
“This insult to the nation’s first leader is an insult to millions of people who love and support Modi ji,” Shah said.
Calling a leader like Modi ji a terrorist, who has succeeded in completely curbing terrorism in the last 12 years, is highly condemnable, Shah said, adding that every time the Congress hurls abuse at Modi, “it is the people of India who respond to it.”
“This time too, people will respond.”
The BJP also asked the EC to initiate appropriate penal and regulatory proceedings “under applicable law, including examining offenses under Sections 175, 171/174, 356 (1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and any other provisions found applicable upon investigation”.
The BJP urged the poll panel to “immediately stop” further publication of Kharge’s statements in campaign materials and digital propaganda.
“Direct the media and social media platforms to depose her. Pass such additional orders as may be necessary to preserve the dignity of the electoral process and ensure a free, fair, peaceful and issues-based campaign,” the BJP added.
