Ahmedabad: Gujarat Congress president Arjun Modhwadia on Friday played down the `monkey` remark on Chief Minister Narendra Modi, saying he was quoted out of context by the media.
"It has been reported in the media in the last two days that I have compared the Chief Minister with a creature and in particular a monkey, which is false. Every Chief Minister is respectable for us. We cannot compare him with any creature. The monkeys are also our ancestors and we should respect our ancestors. So, this comparison is not correct," he said.
Modhwadia, however, left no stones unturned in taking potshots at Modi, as he said that the latter was not focusing on issues concerning Gujarat in his speeches ahead of the Assembly Elections rather focused on targeting Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi.
"The media spread the news without understanding to what I was saying. I said that I found no reference on the issues surrounding Gujarat in the speech of the Chief Minister in the last two months," he said, while emphasising that Modi either sharpens his attack on the Gandhi family or Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in his campaign speeches.
A livid Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) earlier in the day demanded unconditional apology from the Congress Party over Modhwadia`s remark on Modi.
"It is disrespect of the whole state of Gujarat and voters of Gujarat will give a befitting reply through the ballot for the use of such filthy language. The Congress should apologise to the nation and to the people of Gujarat," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told mediapersons in New Delhi.
"We ask Congress chief Sonia Gandhi if she approves of such language," he added, while emphasising that the Congress was frustrated, as Gujarat had become an icon for development, good governance and a non-corrupt regime.
Hinting at the Chief Minister, Modhwadia had earlier compared Modi to a monkey and Manmohan Singh to a lion.
Without taking Modi`s name, Modhwadia said that `you cannot compare lions with monkeys... monkeys keep sitting on trees and challenging lions without realising that he can never be the lion`.
The BJP has filed a complaint against Modhwadia with the Election Commission.
ANI
