New Delhi, 8 April. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday expressed regret for calling Gujaratis ‘uneducated’ during the assembly election campaign in Kerala and said he has great respect for the Gujarati people.
It is noteworthy that Kharge, in a speech during the Keralam Assembly election campaign last Sunday (April 5), had described the people of Gujarat as ‘uneducated’. He had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fooling him. The Congress President had said in the election rally, ‘Do not mislead the people of Kerala. They are very smart and educated. Modi ji, Vijayan, both of you can fool the uneducated people of Gujarat or other places, but you cannot fool the people of Kerala.
‘It was never my intention to hurt the sentiments of the people of Gujarat’
After realizing his mistake, Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post on Nevertheless, I express my regret with responsibility on my part. I have and will always have the highest respect for the people of Gujarat. It was never my intention to hurt the sentiments of the people there.
At present, while reacting to this comment of Kharge, Bharatiya Janata Party had called it an insult to the people of Gujarat and North India. BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said that the Congress President should tell what is his opinion on the intelligence of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and all the prominent Congress leaders from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and other parts of North India.
Gujarati groups also demonstrated
Meanwhile, members of the Gujarati community demonstrated outside the Congress headquarters in the national capital on Wednesday in protest against the Congress President’s recent remarks. The protesters raised slogans like ‘Stop the politics of insult’ and ‘Gujarat has woken up’. The protesters expressed anger over alleged derogatory comments against the Gujarati community. BJP leaders and members of Gujarati organizations participated in the demonstration. He demanded an apology from the Congress leadership.
Protestors demand apology from Congress leadership
Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Vansda, Gujarat, Dhawal Patel alleged that these comments reflected a pattern of insulting Gujarati people by opposition leaders. Citing earlier statements of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others, he claimed that such comments have hurt the sentiments of the community across the country.
Anand MP Mitesh Patel said that Gujarati people have gathered in Delhi following the appeal of community groups. Citing the contributions of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, he said Gujarat has played an important role in the history and development of the country. The protesters said that demonstrations were being held in different parts of the country against Kharge’s statement. He said that this protest will continue until Kharge and other Congress leaders apologize.
