Congress targets BJP, demands expulsion of Basangouda Yatnal for calling Sonia Gandhi 'vishkanya'
New Delhi, Apr 28: The Congress on Friday hit out at the BJP over its leader Basangouda Patil Yatnal calling Sonia Gandhi a "vishkanya", demanded his expulsion from the party and asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved of such name-calling.
The party also asked Prime minister Modi to apologise to Sonia Gandhi, the chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party.
Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka and its leaders have lost their mental balance as well as political propriety, asserting that Yatnal's remarks are the "worst kind" of abuse against Gandhi at the "instance of Prime Minster Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai".
"Facing a complete rout in the assembly elections, the BJP leadership is frustrated to the core and is hurling filth and muck, which is the product of their ugly character and dirty mindset of denigrating and insulting the Congress leadership. They have lost all sense of propriety, political balance and even a remote iota of decency and decorum," he said in a statement.
"Instructed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and supported by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, BJP leader and Modi Ji's personal favourite Basangouda Patil Yatnal has stooped to the lowest by calling UPA chairperson and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi 'vishakanya' and 'agent of China and Pakistan'," Surjewala said.
BJP MLA Yatnal likened Gandhi to a "vishakanya" (venomous) in retaliation to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's "venomous snake" barb hurled at Prime Minister Modi, with the comments drawing sharp response from the opposition party which sought the legislator's expulsion.
"The entire world appreciates Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The US had not given him visa once upon a time, but today he has emerged as a world leader who receives a red carpet welcome and rubs shoulders with world leaders," Yatnal said at a public meeting on Thursday.
"He (Modi) is compared with a cobra and is called venomous. Is Sonia Gandhi, whom you go dancing about in your party, a vishakanya? Sonia Gandhi who ruined the country and works as an agent of China and Pakistan," Yatnal, who is seeking re-election in the May 10 Karnataka elections from Vijayapura, charged.
The "vishkanya" remark against Gandhi by Yatnal came a day after Kharge compared Modi with a poisonous snake.
Campaigning in Karnataka for the assembly polls is in full swing and the Congress seeks to wrest power from the BJP in the state. Karnataka is the only southern state where the BJP is in power.
Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal tweeted, "Every election, they hurl new abuses to insult Sonia Gandhi ji, who has led her entire life with utmost dignity and grace. BJP continues to stoop to new lows, with their filthy language against our leaders. Modi ji, do you endorse these words?"
"Yadha raja thada Praja (as is the king so are the subjects)," he said.
AICC general secretary communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Desperation and despair has made the BJP stoop to name-calling. Their star campaigner Mr Basangouda Patil Yatnal has called former Congress President Smt Sonia Gandhi vishakanya' and agent of China and Pakistan'."
"Does the PM approve? He should immediately expel Mr Yatnal and apologise to Mrs. Gandhi," Ramesh said on Twitter.
Surjewala said, "The BJP leadership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have made a profession of abusing the Nehru Gandhi Family. PM Modi himself has, in the past, called Sonia Gandhi as 'Congress Ki Vidhwa' and even used filthy language like calling her 'jersey cow'."
Such language hurled at Sonia Gandhi reflects the "absolutely debased and undignified character" of the BJP and its leadership, the AICC general secretary in-charge for Karnataka said.
The Congress leader claimed that the sad part is that all of this has the "tacit approval of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, J P Nadda and Basavaraj Bommai".
ALSO READ: Bar Mallikarjun Kharge from campaign, register FIR: BJP to EC on 'poisonous snake' barb
"If Prime Minister has even an iota of decency or dignity, he should immediately expel Basangouda Patil Yatnal from the Bharatiya Janata Party.
"Otherwise, it will be proved that the debased, ugly and deranged remarks being made by Yatnal against Sonia Gandhi are at the instance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai," he said.
"We also demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai should tender an unconditional public apology to Sonia Gandhi as also to the Congress leadership," the Congress leader said.
ಹತಾಶೆಯಾದ ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಅವಹೇಳನೆ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಸ್ಟಾರ್ ಪ್ರಚಾರಕರಾದ ಬಸನಗೌಡ ಪಾಟೀಲ್ ಯತ್ನಾಳವರು ಮಾಜಿ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷೆ ಸೋನಿಯಾ ಗಾಂಧಿಯವರನ್ನು 'ವಿಶ ಕನ್ಯ' ಮತ್ತು 'ಚೀನಾ-ಪಾಕಿಸ್ತಾನದ ಏಜೆಂಟ್' ಎಂದು ಕರೆದಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) April 28, 2023
ಪ್ರಧಾನಿ ಮೋದಿ ಈ ಹೇಳಿಕಗೆ ಒಪ್ಪುತ್ತಾರಾ? ಅವರು ತಕ್ಷಣ ಯತ್ನಾಳವರನ್ನು ಹೊರಹಾಕಿ ಶ್ರೀಮತಿ ಗಾಂಧಿಯವರ ಕ್ಷಮೆ ಕೇಳಬೇಕು
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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
ALSO READ: Cong candidate who moved Kerala HC for name reinstatement in voter list, wins
Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
