Congress making excuses before Karnataka defeat, says BJP

In the letter written on May 13 and released to the media on Monday, Congress leaders referred to PM Modi`s speech in Hubli in which he had warned the Congress against crossing limits.

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New Delhi: The BJP on Monday hit out at the Congress for its objection to Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s "undignified" remarks against the opposition party`s leaders and said that it was trying to make an excuse for possible defeat in Karnataka.

"Those who have broken records of using undignified language should not point fingers at our Prime Minister. If you point one finger at us, there are four fingers that can be pointed at the Congress. When the PM was the Gujarat CM, he was termed `Maut ka Saudagar`," BJP Spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said at a press conference here, which was also addressed by another party Spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi. 

He said that the kind of words used against BJP President Amit Shah during the Karnataka Assembly election campaign were of "such kind that can`t be even uttered".

"By raking up this issue on the eve of counting of Karnataka votes, they are trying to put up an excuse for their possible defeat. It is also an effort to divert attention from their defeat. The Prime Minister speaks in a dignified language," Hussain said.

The BJP attack comes as the Congress took strong objection to Modi`s remarks against its leaders at a poll rally in Karnataka and wrote to President Ram Nath Kovind to urge him to caution Modi against "unwarranted, threatening and intimidating" language as it does not behove him.

In the letter written on May 13 and released to the media on Monday, Congress leaders, including former PM Manmohan Singh, referred to Modi`s speech in Hubli in which he had warned the Congress against crossing limits.

While attacking the Congress, Trivedi said that it was during Manmohan Singh`s rule that a culture of personal accusations against political rivals developed.

"What can be more disregard for a Prime Minister than when a copy of an ordinance was torn by then Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi," he said.

In his speech on May 6, Modi had said, "Congress leaders, listen with your ears open, if you cross boundaries, then this is Modi - you will have to pay for it." 

The Congress letter said that the words used by Modi were "menacing and intimidating with an intent to insult and provoke breach of peace".

It said that all past PM had maintained immense dignity and decorum in the discharge of public or private functions/actions. 

Apart from Singh, the letter was signed by senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Karan Singh, Mallikarjun Kharge, P Chidambaram, AK Antony, Anand Sharma, Ashok Gehlot, Motilal Vora, Ambika Soni, Kamal Nath, Digvijaya Singh, Ahmed Patel, and Mukul Wasnik.