BHOPAL: The opposition Congress seems divided on the controversy generated by its senior leader and ex-Madhya Pradesh minister Raja Pateriya's "be prepared to murder Modi" statement.
The state wing of the party headed by ex-CM Kamal Nath has not only distanced itself from Pateriya's statement but also issued a show cause notice to him seeking a reply within three days on why he shouldn't be expelled from the party over his highly objectionable statement.
However, the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Dr Govind Singh defended Pateriya on Tuesday.
"By murder, he (Pateriya) meant defeating Modi in elections. He is a leader who is committed to non-violence, forget about violence by humans, he is even opposed to the violence meted out to animals. He shouldn't have been arrested in the matter," Govind Singh maintained.
Both Pateriya and Govind Singh are known to be Digvijaya Singh loyalists.
Hitting out at Govind Singh's defence of Pateriya, the state home minister Narottam Mishra said, "by defending Pateriya's statement, the opposition leader has defended a criminal. What Govind Singh spoke was what he has been asked to by the Italian Congress of the Nehru-Gandhi family from Delhi."
Earlier, on Monday, the MP Congress had distanced itself from Pateriya's statements, saying that it had to do nothing with such statements that promote political violence. The state party chief Kamal Nath, while condemning Pateriya's statement, had said that "I pray for PM Modi's long life, me and every other true Congress worker is totally committed to the ideology of non-violence."
Meanwhile, Tuesday early morning, the Panna district police arrested Pateriya from his residence in Hatta town of adjoining Damoh district at around 5.30 am. He was subsequently produced before the competent court in Panna district, from where he was sent to 14 days of judicial custody by the court.
A massive row had erupted in MP on Monday, over a viral video in which Pateriya was seen telling party workers to "be prepared to murder Modi (PM Modi) in the sense of defeating him in polls to save the Constitution."
In the 30 seconds video, the ex-minister was seen addressing party workers, “Modi (PM Narendra Modi) will finish elections, Modi will create divisions on the basis of religion, caste and language and the future life of Dalits, tribes and minorities is in danger. If Constitution is to be saved then be ready to murder Modi, in the sense by defeating him.”
An FIR was lodged against Raja Pateriya at Pawai police station of Panna district on Monday based on a complaint lodged by a PWD sub-engineer. Pateriya was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including 504 (Insult intended to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation).
In the complaint, the sub-engineer Sanjay Khare had alleged that Pateriya had trespassed into the PWD Guest House on Sunday on the pretext of a short stay and held a meeting of Congress workers, where he talked about "murdering Prime Minister Narendra Modi."