M A I N   N E W S

Gadkari ruffles Cong with Afzal remark
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 9
BJP president Nitin Gadkari again ruffled quite a few feathers, this time in the Congress by using foul language against its leaders. The Congress in turn has asked for an apology from the BJP and sought a social boycott of Gadkari.

Addressing a rally in Dehradun last night, Gadkari raked up again his party’s pet subject — the delay in the execution of Parliament attack accused Afzal Guru. Addressing Congress leaders, he said: “Is Afzal Guru the son-in-law of Congress? Have you (Congress) given your daughter to him (Afzal)? Why is he being given special treatment?"

The remarks evoked a strong response from the Congress party. While Congress spokesman Manish Tiwari described these as “obnoxious and obscene” and suggested that he needed to be referred to a “psychiatric facility”, another party spokesman Shakeel Ahmad gave a more structured response to Gadkari’s remarks.

He said, “We condemn this language. It is now for the people to decide whether such persons deserve to be in public life. The people have also to take a call on parties who elect such persons to lead them. We demand a social boycott of such persons and an apology from this party.”

The BJP, however, decided to brazen it out. Its spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad forcefully justified Gadkari’s remarks, describing these as “constructive criticism”. He maintained, “He was summing up the feelings of the kin of those killed in Parliament attack.”

Instead, Prasad demanded an apology from the Congress for using “uncivilised” language against “our leader. The remarks of Congress spokesperson (Manish Tiwari) against Nitin Gadkari were utterly uncivilised, utterly irresponsible and lacked political courtesy,” Prasad said.

“We want to know from the Congress president whether it is the view of the Congress party and whether it is the language of the party. We demand an apology from the Congress for such remarks against the leader of an opposition party,” the BJP spokesman thundered.

When asked that shouldn’t a party president be a little careful with the choice of his words, Prasad said none should forget that Afzal Guru had disclosed that there had been plans to eliminate the entire political leadership of the country.

In May, Gadkari had raised a storm by calling RJD chief Lalu Prasad and SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav “dogs.”

Privately, party sources said Gadkari was facing a problem in Hindi. “Marathi is a robust language and many colloquial terms in Marathi sound offensive in Hindi,” explained a source close to Gadkari.