BENGALURU: KPCC president BK Hariprasad on Monday defended AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge’s controversial remark on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s father, saying it was ideological criticism and not a personal attack.
“They say there is no smoke without fire. Kharge spoke in the BJP’s own style,” he said, adding that RSS and BJP do not say “motherland” but “fatherland” (pitrubhoomi) and “holy land” (punyabhoomi). “Kharge said that for those who say this, even your forefathers would have to vacate. This is not a personal remark. He did not speak about the ‘great man’ (Modi),” he said.
Hariprasad accused Modi of making personal attacks on Congress leaders. “The moment the ‘great man’ steps away from the teleprompter, pearls of wisdom drop,” he said sarcastically. He alleged that Modi had used expressions such as “Congress widow”, “Jersey cow” and “Rs 50-crore girlfriend” and spoken disparagingly of former PM Indira Gandhi in Parliament. “It is they who have set everything on fire,” he said.
Hariprasad said Kharge had insulted no one and criticism was only ideological.