Former MLA Belur Gopalakrishna allegedly calls for shooting Modi, BJP demands action against him
Bengaluru, Mar 5: A Congress leader in Karnataka has sparked a controversy with his alleged remarks at a party function here asking right wing members "to shoot" Prime Minister Narendra Modi "if they had they had the guts" to do so, following which the BJP has demanded action against him.
A purported video of former MLA Belur Gopalakrishna's controversial remarks, made at a party event on February 4 to protest the action of a Hindu Mahasabha leader Pooja Shakun Pandey glorifying Nathuram Godse for assassinating Mahatma Gandhi, has gone viral.
Pandey had shot at an effigy of Mahatma Gandhi with a toy gun on the death anniversary of the father of the nation and had observed it as "Shaurya Divas" in Aligarh on January 31.
"My dear friends, these people who speak in favour of Godse today, such people should not stay in the country. If they move to murder the democracy of this country.... If you (extreme right wingers) have the guts, shoot down your Modi. Don't kill anybody else. I am very happy...," Gopalakrishna is heard saying in the purported video.
The Karnataka BJP posted the video on its Twitter handle and demanded that the police initiate action against him.
"Belur Gopalakrishna, a Congress leader in an official party function calls for assassination of democratically elected PM Sri @narendramodi ji. Instigating for assassination of PM of a country is a nation threat & we urge @HMOIndia, @CPBlr to impose legal action immediately," the BJP tweeted.
The party also asked Congress president Rahul Gandhi to take action against Gopalakrishna.
"Well @RahulGandhi we remember you saying you don't endorse hate politics but now that your own party leader has openly called for assassination of a democratically elected PM of this nation would act on him. If you don't act it clearly means you endorse his words," the party tweeted.
When asked about it, Gopalakrishna defended his remarks.
He said, "I never said I will kill Modi. These people insulted the father of the nation, shot at his effigy and said that if Gandhi was alive today they would have shot him dead.
"I only asked them (extreme right wing outfits) if they have the guts to shoot the prime minister," said Gopalakrishna, who has been a party hopper.
Previously, he was in the BJP and jumped to the Congress after he was denied a ticket in the assembly election to contest from Sagar constituency last year. Before that he was in the JD(S).
Belur Gopalakrishna, a Congress leader in a official party function calls for assassination of democratically elected PM Sri @narendramodi ji.
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) March 5, 2019
Instigating for assassination of PM of a country is a nation threat & we urge @HMOIndia, @CPBlr to impose legal action immediately. pic.twitter.com/Tg9GO0FCdM
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Air quality worsens in city, AQI settles in 'severe' zone
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi battled toxic fumes on Sunday as the air quality slipped into the 'severe category with a reading of 459, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.
A thick layer of smog blanketed the city overnight, leaving people gasping for air.
As per the CPCB, an Air Quality Index (AQI) between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor' and 401 to 500 'severe'.
On the weather front, the minimum temperature settled at 8.2 degrees Celsius, 0.4 notch below the season's average, and the maximum temperature is likely to hover around 24 degrees Celsius.
The relative humidity was 100 per cent at 8.30 am, the IMD said.
In light of the deteriorating air quality in the national capital, the Delhi Directorate of Education on Saturday directed all schools to conduct classes for students up to Class IX and XI in a hybrid mode
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has invoked Stage-IV actions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) with immediate effect to curb further worsening of air pollution levels in Delhi-NCR.
