Ahmedabad, April 8 The Gujarat BJP welcomed Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's expression of regret over his remarks about Gujaratis, calling them "illiterate," but questioned the delay in his response and highlighted another controversial comment he made during the election campaign in Assam.
Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief spokesperson Dr. Anil Patel noted that Kharge's apology was "a good thing" and deserved to be welcomed.
"Respected Kharge does not have the personality to make such a statement. And I said earlier that perhaps he made this statement under pressure from (Congress MP) Rahul Gandhi. But he has publicly apologized today. He is a highly respected figure," Patel stated.
However, the Gujarat BJP chief spokesperson questioned the delay in Kharge expressing regret for his controversial remarks made on April 5 during the Assembly election campaign in Kerala.
"Why did he not apologize that very day if his intention was not to hurt the sentiments of the people of Gujarat?" he asked while speaking to reporters in Gandhinagar.
In a post on X on Wednesday, the Congress president said, "Some of my remarks in a recent election speech in Kerala are being deliberately misinterpreted. Nevertheless, I express my sincere regret. It was never my intention to hurt the sentiments of the people of Gujarat, for whom I have always had and will continue to have the highest respect."
Kharge sparked a controversy on Sunday during his Assembly election campaign in Kerala, calling the people of Gujarat "illiterate" and claiming they were being "deceived" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
At the same time, the Congress president said that neither Modi nor Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan could deceive the people of Kerala, describing them as "very clever and educated."
Patel also referred to another controversial comment made by Kharge at an event in Assam on Monday, ahead of the Assembly polls in the northeastern state.
"Just two days ago, he made a statement in Assam that 'the RSS and BJP are like poisonous snakes, and that it is written in the Quran that even during 'namaaz', if you see a poisonous snake, you should kill it'. I want to ask respected Kharge ji one question: what do you have to say about this (snake remark)?" Patel asked.
Prior to Kharge expressing regret, Patel addressed a press conference and termed the "illiterate" remarks as a "direct attack on the self-respect of 6.5 crore Gujaratis and a gross insult to the dignity and pride of Gujarat."
He questioned the Congress mindset and asked whether it had any grudge against Gujaratis, while highlighting the contributions made by leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dayanand Saraswati, Vikram Sarabhai and Kanhaiyalal Munshi, who hailed from Gujarat.
Patel further alleged the Congress was unable to accept India's growing global stature under the leadership of Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and claimed Kharge's remarks reflected the thinking of the party leadership.
