Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday condemned Aam Aadmi Party's Gujarat chief Gopal Italia for making casteist remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying Gujarat and the country will not tolerate it.
Condemning the AAP leader's remark, the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister further said that PM Modi's mother is 100 years old and has nothing to do with politics.
"Gopal Italia (AAP Gujarat chief) made casteist remarks which Gujarat and the country will not tolerate. He commented about PM's mother. She is 100 years old and has nothing to do with politics. Congress condemns it. It will be BJP vs Congress in Gujarat," Baghel told ANI.
Baghel further claimed that AAP is the 'B' team of BJP and they go to Gujarat, Goa and Uttarakhand to defeat Congress.
"Whatever they say but that is their goal. AAP is not Aam Aadmi Party but 'Khas Aadmi Party'," he added.
Last week, a video of Italia had gone viral in which he is purportedly heard asking the women not to visit the temples and 'kathas' (sermons by Hindu priests) as they are "hubs of exploitation". This comes days after he allegedly made a casteist remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in yet another viral video.
Italia was detained by the Delhi Police after he was summoned by the National Commission of Women (NCW) on Thursday.
The NCW chief summoned Italia over a controversial video, in which he purportedly used derogatory language against PM Modi.
Earlier, lashing out at Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal over Gujarat AAP president's recent remarks on PM Modi's mother, Union Minister Smriti Irani on Friday said Kejriwal "falling to new lows is not surprising".
"With blessings of Arvind Kejriwal, AAP leadership in Gujarat maliciously attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 100-year-old mother. That Kejriwal could fall to new lows is not surprising...Her only crime is she gave birth to Narendra Modi. Your leaders and workers seek to punish and abuse her," Irani told reporters here.
Amid a political slugfest in the run-up to the Assembly elections in Gujarat, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday hit out at AAP over its state chief Gopal Italia's recent remarks which have triggered reactions from BJP.
BJP national general secretary CT Ravi said that AAP has an old habit of doing drama, however, the party would not succeed in Gujarat.
BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra slammed Italia over his remark.
"Calling the Prime Minister a lowly person is against the democratic rules of the country; it is an insult to the country. Be it any caste, or any religion, no person can be lowly," Patra had said at a press conference.
( With inputs from ANI )
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