Sambit Patra calls PM ‘desh ka baap’, Congress seeks Modi’s apology

The Congress party has sought an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a statement by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra, who had called the PM “the father of India”.

During a debate on a television news channel, Patra had termed PM Modi as “Desh ka baap”.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala took to Twitter to target PM Modi over the issue, saying the statement by the BJP spokesperson has hurt the sentiments of Gujarat, which is the land of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation.

"They had the audacity to insult Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. They can abuse and misbehave with us. We don't have any objection. We will accept it as the test of democracy.

"But on behalf of Congress party and 130 crore Indians I want to say, such insult of Mahatma Gandhi by BJP spokespersons won't be tolerated by us. Now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is termed as 'country's father (desh ka baap)'," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters. 

"Nobody ever had the audacity to insult the father of the nation in this manner. This is the same BJP which has dedicated a temple to Nathuram Godse (who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi) in Madhya Pradesh. A state BJP minister called Godse a Mahapurush," he added. 

Surjewala further said: "We demand Prime Minister should apologise to the country for the words used by the BJP spokesperson. Would PM show the courage, as Rahul Gandhi did (in case of Mani Shankar Aiyar), to expel him from the party. If he apologises, then we will praise him. 

"..Else it would be proved that your spokesperson is not saying this, you (Modi) are making him say this..because you consider yourself larger than Mahatma Gandhi," Surjewala added.

"We appeal to Modiji to expel him (Patra) from the BJP," he said.

The Congress further asked PM Modi to follow party vice president Rahul Gandhi, who recently expelled senior party leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for calling the Prime Minister “neech”.

(With IANS inputs)