New Delhi [India], April 23 : Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta condemned the remarks made by Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, where he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "terrorist," saying that there is widespread public outrage over his statement and the Congress National President should realise the global image of PM Modi as a leader.
Speaking to ANI, the Chief Minister slammed the Congress party, citing their repeated insults and abuses towards constitutional institutions and the judiciary.
"He has insulted individuals holding constitutional positions in the country; sometimes they hurl abuses at the country's constitutional institutions, sometimes they curse the judiciary, and sometimes they use derogatory words against the armed forces. There is widespread public outrage over his statement; the public strongly condemns such behaviour. Kharge should realise that PM Modi is one of the most popular leaders of the world. He resides in the heart of every Indian," she said.
Her criticism follows the remarks of the Congress President against the AIADMK for supporting the BJP, while he labelled PM Modi a "terrorist who does not believe in equality" on the last day of Tamil Nadu election campaigning.
When questioned on the choice of words, Kharge quickly defended himself, claiming that he meant to say that the PM was terrorising his political opponents.
"He (PM Modi) is terrorising people and political parties. I never said he is a terrorist. What I mean, I want to clarify, is that Modi always threatens. The institutions like ED, I-T and CBI are in his hands. He wants to take delimitation also into his hands," Kharge said.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has officially taken note of the controversial remarks made by him.
ECI has issued a formal notice to Kharge, citing a potential violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during the high-stakes campaign for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
The ECI characterised the language used as "intemperate and highly objectionable," noting that such dehumanising labels undermine the dignity of democratic institutions. The Congress President has been granted a strict window of 24 hours to clarify his stance.