Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 23 : BJP leader and Leader of Oppositon in the Karnataka assembly, R Ashoka, on Thursday supported the Election Commission's notice to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge over his "terrorist" remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded that Kharge be removed from his position.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday issued a stern 24-hour ultimatum to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, demanding an explanation for his controversial remark directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the high-decibel Tamil Nadu Assembly election campaign.
Ashoka participated in the BJP protest near the Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru against Kharge's statement. The protest was also attended by State President and MLA B Y Vijayendra, Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka, along with other BJP MLAs.
Speaking with ANI, Ashoka called Kharge's statement "illegal", especially criticising the timing of the remarks.
"His statement is also illegal, especially during election time...I fully support the ECI's notice," he said.
Furthermore, he recognised remarks as Kharge's desperation to secure a key role in the state or the centre. Stating that the PM defended the nation from terrorists, Ashoka accused Congress of allegedly supporting terrorists.
He demanded an apology from the Congress and called for Kharge's dismissal from the position of party President, threatening protests if the demands are not met.
"The statement is a disgrace to the Congress Party. They are already losing elections across the country, with only three states under their control. This is likely why Mr Kharge is so eager to secure a central ministerial position, or any post, or even the Chief Minister's role in Karnataka. But that is not going to happen. He was clearly frustrated. In contrast, PM Modi is the one safeguarding our nation from terrorism... The Congress Party in Karnataka supported terrorists involved in the cooker blast and even calls them brothers," he said.
"This is why we demand that Mr. Kharge be immediately removed from his position as Congress President, and that the party apologise to the nation. If they don't, we will continue our protests," he added.
The controversy erupted on the last day of Tamil Nadu election campaigning, when the Congress President criticised the AIADMK for supporting the BJP and labelled PM Modi a 'terrorist who does not believe in equality.'
When questioned on the choice of words, Kharge quickly defended himself, claiming that he meant to say that the PM was terrorising his political opponents.
"He (PM Modi) is terrorising people and political parties. I never said he is a terrorist...What I mean, I want to clarify, is that Modi always threatens. The institutions like ED, I-T and CBI are in his hands. He wants to take delimitation also into his hands," Kharge said.
The clarification did little to calm the situation as the BJP filed a "strong complaint" with the Election Commission over Kharge's remarks and also sought an apology from him.
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