New Delhi: BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal has launched a sharp attack on Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, condemning his recent remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and calling them “insulting” and “unfortunate”.
The remarks come amid a heated political exchange between the BJP and Congress over Kharge’s controversial comments made during a press briefing earlier this week.
Khandelwal said, “It is extremely unfortunate that a senior leader like Mallikarjun Kharge has made such insulting remarks about the Prime Minister of the country, especially at a time when we all know that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the most popular leader in the world. I feel that Mallikarjun Kharge has lost his mental balance, and the Congress party should immediately have Kharge treated by a psychiatrist.”
The controversy erupted after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, at a press conference earlier this week, referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “terrorist” while criticising the BJP’s alliance politics. When questioned later, Kharge clarified that he did not intend to call the Prime Minister a terrorist, but meant that “PM Modi is terrorising people and political parties”. He further added that his statement was aimed at highlighting what he described as an aggressive political approach, not a literal label.
The BJP responded strongly to the comments, with several leaders condemning Kharge’s statement and accusing Congress of lowering political discourse. The party went on to describe Congress as an “Urban Naxal Party”, intensifying the political confrontation between the two national parties.
Kharge had made the remarks while questioning the AIADMK’s decision to align with the BJP for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, during which he used the controversial term for the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, on the electoral front, Khandelwal also commented on the voting underway in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, saying, “Today is the day when the fortunes of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal will change. First of all, I would like to urge everyone in the regions of West Bengal where voting is taking place today, and across all of Tamil Nadu — especially our traders and their families — to step out of their homes and cast their votes to strengthen this festival of democracy. Undoubtedly, the Mamata Banerjee government will be defeated in West Bengal with a heavy majority, and a BJP government will be formed with a massive mandate under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi…”
Voting in both states is being closely watched as a key political test for major parties, with leaders intensifying rhetoric as polling progresses.
(IANS)
