Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 28 : Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai said the people of Karnataka will give a befitting reply to Congress in the upcoming Assembly elections after Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge's 'poisonous snake' remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"PM never replied to the malicious statements, it's the public who responded every time. Congress hasn't still learnt a lesson, and now the people of Karnataka will give a suitable reply to them for this statement. Defeat is written on Congress' face," Annamalai told the media.
He further said that the Congress party is becoming desperate. "We are hearing such statements back from 2001 when PM Modi was Chief Minister of Gujarat", Annamalai said.
Earlier on Thursday, while addressing an election rally in Karnataka's Kalaburagi, Kharge said, "PM Modi is like a 'poisonous snake', you might think it's poison or not. If you lick it, you're dead."
However, Kharge later clarified that what he wanted to say is BJP's ideology is as dangerous as a snake and didn't mean to make a personal attack against PM Modi.
Further, on Kharge's statement, Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, Anurag Thakur said the Congress leader made such a remark as no one in the party accepts him as president.
"Mallikarjun Kharge may have been elected as the Congress president but nobody in the party accepts him in that position. Hence, he thought of giving a statement, which is worse than the one ('Maut Ka Saudagar') made by Sonia Gandhi (the Congress president). The Congress should apologise to the nation," Thakur said.
BJP leader and Union minister Shobha Karandlaje also demanded Kharge's apology.
"Mallikarjun Kharge is a senior leader and president of the Congress. What is he trying to tell the world? Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister of our country and the whole world respects him. Using such language for our PM shows how much Congress has stooped. We want him (Kharge) to apologise to the nation," Karandlaje said.
Union Minister for Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan, also launched a scathing attack on the Congress president, saying he used such words against PM Modi to "appease his political masters".
Speaking to the media persons in Bengaluru, Pradhan said, "It seems Kharge-ji used such words to appease his political masters. He must have been under some compulsion."
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Kharge's statement reflects the mindset of the Congress.
Speaking to , Sitharaman said, "It shows the mentality of the Congress. I condemn it. While Rahul Gandhi took out the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' to spread love, as he called it, his party president is using such words against our PM. Mallikarjun Kharge should tender an apology."
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi also condemned Kharge's remark, saying the people would teach the grand old party a lesson.
Speaking to , the Union Minister said, "It is highly condemnable. People will teach them a lesson. I demand an unconditional apology from Kharge."
"I would also like to remind Kharge and his bosses (in the Congress) that every time they insulted Modi-ji, people gave them a befitting reply," the Union Minister added.
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