Alok Agarwal is AAP CM candidate in MP

Vartha Bharati | 15-07-2018 | 17:42:00 IST

Indore, July 15 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday declared Alok Agarwal, an activist who studied at IIT Kanpur, as the Aam Aadmi Partys (AAP) Chief Ministerial candidate in Madhya Pradesh.

Kejriwal made the announcement at a rally in Indore.

"Agrawal has studied at IIT. He could have gone to the US if he wanted to. But after completing his studies, he chose to serve the people of the state," the AAP leader said.

Agarwal contested the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh. Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh will be held this year.

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Kharge expresses regret over 'illiterate' remark, says he has highest of respect for Gujaratis

08-04-2026 ¦ 08-04-2026 IST

Photo: Mallikarjun Kharge (PTI)

New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday expressed regret over his controversial statement calling the people of Gujarat "illiterate", and said he has always had and will continue to have the highest of respect for the people of the state.

In a post on X, the Congress president said, "Some remarks of mine in a recent election speech in Kerala are being deliberately misinterpreted. Even so, I express my sincere regret.

"It was never my intention to hurt the sentiments of the people of Gujarat for whom I have always had and will continue to have the highest of respect."

Kharge on Sunday had sparked a row during his Assembly poll campaign in Kerala, calling the people of Gujarat "illiterate" and claiming they were being "fooled" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

At the same time, Kharge said neither Modi nor Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan could fool the people of Kerala, describing them as "very clever and educated".

"Don’t misguide the people of Kerala. They are very clever and educated. Modiji, Vijayan, you both can fool people who are illiterate in Gujarat or other places, but you cannot fool the people of Kerala," the Congress chief had said.

He made the remark while alleging that both Modi and Vijayan were following the same path, with no difference between them except the parties they lead.

The BJP on Tuesday had demanded an apology from Kharge for his remarks, saying that the comment was "shameless, demeaning and utterly despicable."

Addressing a press conference here, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asked Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to clarify whether they agreed with Kharge's statement.