New Delhi, April 7 The Congress on Tuesday accused Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of insulting party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and demanded an unconditional apology from him for his "deplorable conduct," which the party alleged reflects the "anti-Dalit mindset" of the BJP.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said that by using words like "mad man" for Kharge, Sarma has insulted one of the tallest leaders of the country who hails from a humble background.
In a post on X, Venugopal said, "Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma asking 'Who is Kharge?' and using street insults like 'paagal' is deeply problematic and shows how flabbergasted he is."
"Himanta must apologise for this deplorable conduct, for insulting one of the tallest leaders in our country who hails from the most humble background.
"We all know how rattled he is because of the grave corruption allegations against him, and how he leaves no stone unturned to use the most pathetic language to spread hatred," Venugopal said.
He said it is this mindset that the Congress rejects and "we demand an unconditional apology from him for this statement".
In a post on X, Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said, "It is well known that the outgoing Assam CM knows no dignity or restraint in language, leave alone action."
"His abuse of Mallikarjun Kharge ji -- the Congress President and a most powerful symbol of social empowerment made possible by the Constitution of India -- is disgraceful beyond any limit and reveals not only his mental sickness but also the 'dalit-virodhi' mindset of the BJP.
"What the outgoing Assam CM has said about Shri Rahul Gandhi is also most despicable. They deserve the utmost condemnation," Ramesh said.
Senior Congress leader and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accused Sarma of insulting a tall Dalit leader.
"Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma insulting Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, one of the tallest Dalit leaders, in such derogatory terms is not just an attack on an individual -- it is an insult to the entire Dalit community.
"Such remarks reflect a deeply regressive mindset -- rooted in the BJP-RSS's Manuvadi thought and bigotry," Siddaramaiah said in a post on X.
"It appears he has lost his balance -- driven by fear of defeat in the upcoming elections and the prospect of facing jail in corruption cases, as made clear by Shri Rahul Gandhi," he added.
Demanding that Sarma must issue an unconditional apology to the country and the Dalit community, Siddaramaiah said, "Also, why is Narendra Modi silent? Silence in the face of such insult is complicity."
Slamming Sarma, veteran Congress leader Ashok Gehlot also said the anti-Dalit mindset of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has once again been exposed.
"The derogatory remarks made by the Chief Minister of Assam against Congress National President Kharge are not only condemnable, but also reflect the moral decline of the BJP.
"What is most unfortunate, however, is the silence of Prime Minister Modi ji. The Prime Minister should have strongly objected to such inappropriate conduct by his Chief Minister but his silence makes it clear that the insult of the Dalit community causes no discomfort to the BJP's top leadership," the former Rajasthan chief minister said in a post on X.
Sarma earlier hit out at Kharge, claiming that he was "speaking like a mad man" due to old age, after the latter put the onus on central agencies to probe the charges made against the Assam chief minister.
Kharge, at a presser in Guwahati on Tuesday, said all agencies are under the central government, which should probe the charges.
Slamming the Congress chief, Sarma said, "Kharge is ageing and is speaking like a pagal (mad man)."
Khera had on Sunday alleged that Sarma's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, has multiple passports and foreign property, which were not declared in the chief minister’s election affidavit.