Rijiju Demands Apology From Congress Over Alleged Threat To Modi

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday demanded an apology from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over an alleged threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s life by Congress workers.

Addressing a hastily convened press conference, Rijiju alleged that at a Congress rally held in the national capital on Sunday, some party workers had threatened to dig the Prime Minister’s grave, calling it the “most unfortunate and tragic” episode in Indian democracy.

“Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi should tender an apology for the Congress workers' threat to the life of the Prime Minister. They should tender the apology on the floor of both Houses of Parliament. It is most unfortunate and tragic that Congress workers openly declared to dig the grave of Prime Minister Modi,” he said.

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister said workers and leaders of the Congress and the BJP are political rivals, not enemies. “We propagate different ideologies but work together for a developed India as dreamt by Prime Minister Modi,” he said.

Rijiju added that political leaders often greet each other in public despite political differences, and that criticism is part of democratic contestation.

“We oppose each other differently. We never think of killing each other, nor do we talk about that. What kind of mentality is this? What kind of practice is this where some people are threatening to kill political rivals openly?” he asked.

He said Modi is the Prime Minister of 140 crore people and leads the world’s largest democracy.

“The whole world respects PM Modi, the whole of India respects PM Modi. But if some people in the opposition threaten to kill the prime minister, it is most unfortunate and tragic. It will not end by just condemning the incident.

“In Parliament, the Congress president (Kharge) and the Leader of Opposition (Rahul Gandhi) should tender an apology. They should tender an apology to the country on the floor of Parliament,” he said.

Rijiju said that if there was any humanity left in the Congress and if it respected the people of the country, it should immediately tender an apology in both Houses of Parliament.

“Then only will we accept that they have admitted their mistake. Abusing a prime minister is not acceptable in a decent society. The prime minister has always said that we never consider the opposition as enemies but as political opponents.

“We are all working for the country. But to openly declare taking the life of the honourable prime minister, to dig the grave of Modi ji, is the most unfortunate thing we have seen in the political history of India,” he said.

The remarks came amid an escalation of the Congress’s campaign over alleged election irregularities. At a ‘Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod’ rally in the national capital on Sunday, senior Congress leaders attacked the BJP and election commissioners, alleging that “vote chori” is in the ruling party’s DNA and accusing its leaders of being “gaddar” conspiring to strip people of their voting rights and therefore unfit to remain in power.

(with PTI inputs)