The Election Commission of India on Wednesday took serious note of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s ‘terrorist’ remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and issued a show cause notice over the issue.
“(The) use of intemperate and highly objectionable and dehumanising choice of words by a seasoned politician against a constitutional functionary appears to be not only inconsistent with the standards of public discourse but also undermines the dignity of democratic institutions,” the poll body said in a letter to Kharge.
It gave the Congress president 24 hours to explain his stand on the remarks or an appropriate action or decision in the matter will be taken.
The development comes after a BJP delegation comprising three union ministers, including Nirmala Sitharaman, approached the poll body earlier in the day, demanding “strictest action” against the Congress president over the remark.
On Tuesday, Congress chief Kharge triggered a massive row after referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “terrorist” while criticising the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) for aligning with him. The Congress leader later clarified on this remarks.
The remarks led a major political row with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) calling Kharge’s comment an “insult” not only to Modi but to 1.4 billion Indians.
What Kharge said?
Kharge, while addressing reporters in Chennai, questioned the AIADMK’s decision to join hands with the BJP and asked, “How these AIADMK people, who themselves put the photo of Annadurai, how can they join Modi? He is a terrorist. His party won’t believe in equality and justice. These people are joining with them; it means they are weakening democracy.”
“You need leaders who will not bow before the BJP and will stand up and fight, that is MK Stalin. Today, AIADMK has lost its identity. It has become a silent-slave partner of the BJP. It cannot protect Tamil Nadu’s interest, because it has become a slave of PM Modi,” he added.
The Congress President later clarified his statement saying he did not mean to call the prime minister a “terrorist” but meant that he “always terrorises” people and political parties.
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