ANI file photo
NEW DELHI: Vice president C P Radhakrishnan on Wednesday criticised Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over his “terrorist” remarks targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha sometimes fails to distinguish between “black and white” or between “terror and terror to terrorist.”’Sometimes Kharge ji does not differentiate between the black and white, or between terrorists…and terror to terrorists,” the vice president said while addressing a gathering where Kharge was also present.The vice president was speaking at the Amrit Mahotsava celebration of Dr Basavalinga Pattadevaru Mahaswamiji of Hiremath Samsthan at Sri Channabasavashram in Bhalki, Bidar. The vice president’s remarks came a day after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, during the final leg of the Tamil Nadu election campaign, criticised the AIADMK for aligning with the BJP and targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Kharge allegedly referred to PM Modi as a “terrorist who does not believe in equality”.Responding to the controversy, Kharge said, “I clarified my statement in Chennai.”Earlier today, a BJP delegation, including parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, met the Election Commission, seeking action against Kharge over his remarks.Stating that no political party had ever shown such a level of disrespect as the Congress, Kiren Rijiju said the delegation urged the EC to take “strict action” and called on the Congress president to apologise to the country. “Today, a high level delegation of BJP met with the Election Commission. We have met the EC with grief and anger because normally we meet the EC for election process related work but today our delegation went for the derogatory remarks made by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is not a BJP issue but an issue for the entire nation. Calling the PM of the country, a terrorist, you can understand the level of low the Congress has touched in terms of respecting an individual and the democracy. I don’t think any political party has ever used such insulting remarks against a PM,” Rijiju stated, as cited by ANI.
