Congress leader Jairam Ramesh (L) and BJP leader J P Nadda (R).
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday slammed as "intemperate" and "senseless" BJP president JP Nadda's reply to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagging "threats" aimed at Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Modi, saying there was once a PM who, for 17 years, replied to each and every official and personal letter sent to him.
"Former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh writes to the non-biological PM on Covid-19.The Health Minister is given an abusive reply to send in his name.
"Congress President and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge ji writes to non-biological PM on the grave threats being hurled at the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi by Mr. Modi's colleagues. The BJP President is given the task of sending an intemperate and senseless reply," Ramesh said in a post on X.
"There was once a PM who, for seventeen years, replied to each and every official and personal letter sent to him - as over a 100 volumes of his Selected Works will testify," Ramesh said in an obvious reference to India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
"But self-proclaimed divinities are different I suppose," the Congress leader added.
His remarks came after BJP president Nadda accused Gandhi of having a history of abusing Prime Minister Modi and OBCs, and of siding with anti-India forces.
In his letter to Kharge, Nadda cited his party's own litany of complaints against the LoP and other Congress members for their choice of words against the prime minister.
"Under what compulsion are you trying to justify Rahul Gandhi," the BJP president asked his Congress counterpart in a three-page letter written in Hindi.
He claimed that Kharge's letter was driven by his political compulsion to market a "failed product" repeatedly rejected by people.
On Tuesday, Kharge had raised with PM Modi the issue of "extremely objectionable" and violent statements by ruling alliance members targeting Rahul Gandhi and urged him to discipline his leaders.
In his letter to Modi, Kharge had asserted that strict legal action should be taken against those giving such statements so that Indian politics can be prevented from degenerating and nothing untoward happens.
"I want to draw your attention to an issue which is directly related to democracy and the Constitution. You must be aware that a series of extremely objectionable, violent and rude statements are being made against the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi," the Congress chief said.
"I have to say with sadness that the violent language used by the leaders of the BJP and your allies is harmful for the future.The world is shocked that the Minister of State for Railways in the central government, a minister from BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, is calling the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha 'number one terrorist'," Kharge had said in an apparent reference to the remarks by MoS Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu and UP minister Raghuraj Singh.
"An MLA from a party that has ties with your government in Maharashtra is announcing a reward of Rs 11 lakh to the person who 'cuts off the tongue of the Leader of the Opposition and brings it to him'. A BJP leader and former MLA in Delhi is threatening to make him 'fate like his grandmother'," Kharge had said.
Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad announced that he will give Rs 11 lakh to anyone chopping off Gandhi's tongue for his remarks on scrapping the reservation system.
Union minister Bittu on Sunday said if those "manufacturing bombs" were supporting Gandhi, he is the "number one terrorist". Minister in the BJP's UP government Raghuraj Singh reportedly made similar remarks as that of Bittu.
Earlier, BJP leader Tarvinder Singh Marvah had purportedly made "threatening" remarks against Gandhi.