Gujarat CM, Dy CM press Kharge with questions after ‘illiterate’ remark, seek apology

Gandhinagar, April 6 (IANS) A political row escalated on Monday after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge drew sharp criticism from the Gujarat government over remarks made at an election rally, with Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi posing a series of pointed questions and demanding an apology.

Addressing a rally in Kerala's Idukki district ahead of Assembly elections, Kharge said that people in the state are “educated and clever” and “cannot be misled”, unlike “those who are illiterate in Gujarat or other places”.

The remarks triggered strong reactions from leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat, who termed them derogatory towards the state and its people.

Responding to the statement, Sanghavi said it had hurt the “self-respect and pride of 6.5 crore Gujaratis” and asked, “Did you not feel even a moment of shame while insulting the sacred land of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel?”

He further questioned, “As long as Congress was winning in Gujarat, the people were good, but once you started losing, has Gujarat suddenly become bad?”

He also asked, “Why do you target Gujarat in every election? Why do you repeatedly abuse Gujaratis? What is the root of this hatred?” and added, “Is this statement a result of your personal frustration or an official policy of Congress to consistently target Gujarat?”

Sanghavi said Kharge should “answer these questions and apologise not only to Gujarat but to the people of the entire country”.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel described Kharge’s remarks as “highly objectionable and unfortunate”, saying they had “hurt the dignity of Gujarat” and amounted to “an insult to Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel”.

“The mindset of Congress against Gujarat and Gujaratis is not recent but years old. Gujarat will not tolerate this insult,” Patel said.

He added that such statements reflected the party’s “insecurity” in the face of “widespread public support for development politics under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.

Expanding his criticism, Patel alleged that previous Congress-led governments had “obstructed the Sardar Sarovar dam project” and “prevented Narmada waters from reaching Gujarat for years”.

He also said that reductions in fertiliser subsidies and a sudden ban on cotton exports had caused “financial losses worth crores to farmers”.

The Chief Minister further claimed that “industries coming to invest in Gujarat through the Vibrant Summit were issued income tax notices to discourage investment”, and that central policies had forced the state to procure coal from distant regions at higher costs.

Highlighting Gujarat’s economic contribution, Patel said: "The state accounts for over eight per cent of India’s GDP, around 17 per cent of industrial production and nearly 40 per cent of total cargo handling."

He added, “Gujarat contributes about 30 per cent to the country’s pharma market, 19 per cent to exports and 16.5 per cent to renewable energy.”

Challenging Kharge’s remarks, Patel asked, “How can you call Gujaratis illiterate and foolish? If Gujarat were illiterate, would such development have been possible?”

The exchange has intensified political tensions between the BJP and Congress ahead of upcoming elections, with the ruling party accusing Kharge of making a generalised and offensive comment, while the Congress has maintained that his remarks were made in the course of political criticism during an election campaign.

--IANS

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