NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India on Wednesday took serious note of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s remark calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “terrorist” and issued a show cause notice to the Congress chief over the controversial statement.
The action followed a visit by a BJP delegation comprising three union ministers, including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to the poll body earlier in the day, where they demanded the “strictest action” against Kharge over the remark.
The controversy was triggered on Tuesday when Kharge, while addressing reporters in Chennai, questioned the AIADMK’s decision to align with the BJP. “How these AIADMK people, who themselves put the photo of Annadurai, how can they join Modi? He is a terrorist. His party won’t believe in equality and justice. These people are joining with them; it means they are weakening democracy,” he said.
Kharge also targeted the AIADMK directly, saying the party had surrendered its identity. “Today, AIADMK has lost its identity. It has become a silent-slave partner of the BJP. It cannot protect Tamil Nadu’s interest, because it has become a slave of PM Modi,” he added.
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The remarks triggered a sharp political backlash, with the BJP calling the comment an “insult” not just to the Prime Minister but to all 1.4 billion Indians.
Kharge subsequently sought to walk back the statement, clarifying that he did not intend to call the Prime Minister a “terrorist” in the literal sense, but meant that Modi “always terrorises” people and political parties.
(With inputs from news agencies)