Maharashtra minister Lodha demands Kharge apologise to nation over remark on PM Modi

Mumbai: Maharashtra Cabinet minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha has expressed strong displeasure over a statement made by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Lodha demanded that Kharge apologise to the country for the remark.

Speaking on the matter, Lodha said, "Vinash kale vipareet buddhi" (when ruin approaches, the mind turns perverse). He recalled that Rahul Gandhi had earlier been behaving like a small child. According to Lodha, what Kharge said showed the level of his intellect.

Lodha said Prime Minister Modi is a towering personality and it does not behoove anyone to speak about him in this manner.

The minister also made it clear that an objectionable statement about the Prime Minister is not an insult to one person alone but to the entire country. He warned Kharge that if he did not apologise to the country for his statement, the public would not forgive him.

The remark has heated up politics. Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde has also strongly objected to Kharge's controversial comment about the late father of Prime Minister Modi.

Shinde said political differences are natural, but stooping to the personal level and using insulting language in the name of opposition is not in keeping with democratic tradition. He questioned the political culture of the Congress on this count.

Shinde also asked directly why the Gandhi family was silent on the statement. He said the Congress senior leadership should state its position clearly. Asking why the party leadership was keeping quiet when the statement was crossing the limits of democracy, he said the Congress should introspect.

Shinde added that while expressing disagreement, it is essential to maintain the standard of language and the decorum of public life. In his view, public questions should be discussed instead of personal criticism.