BJP slams Congress chief Kharge over 'illiterate' remark, seeks apology

The BJP on Tuesday demanded an apology from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for his alleged remarks on the people of Gujarat and some other states, saying that the comment was "shameless, demeaning and utterly despicable."

Addressing a press conference here, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asked Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to clarify whether they agreed with Kharge's statement.

At an election rally in Kerala's Idukki district on Sunday, Kharge had said the people of the state were "educated and clever" and cannot be misled, unlike those who were "illiterate" in Gujarat and some other places.

"Do they agree with this statement? If Rahul Gandhi has any sense, he should distance himself from this remark, condemn it, and demand an apology," Prasad said.

The former Union minister further said Kharge "does not deserve to remain Congress president" for making such comments, and questioned if he had "abandoned all sense of dignity" associated with the post.

"The position he holds was once occupied by leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dr Rajendra Prasad, Maulana Azad, Sonia Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and even Rahul Gandhi. What kind of language is being used by someone holding such a post? Kharge's comment is not only demeaning, but shameless and utterly despicable," he said.

He further said Gujarat has produced several national leaders and intellectuals.

"What does it mean when the president of a national party calls an entire state's people illiterate? I want to pose a serious question to the party's national platform," Prasad said.

Quoting data, he said that Gujarat's literacy rate has improved over the years and is around 82 per cent. Literacy levels have risen across the country, he asserted.

"Kharge said Gujaratis are illiterate and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has misled them to stay in power, while people of Kerala are educated. If you hate the prime minister, will you say anything without thinking?" asked Prasad, an MP from Patna Sahib.

He demanded that the Congress president apologise to the people of Gujarat, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

"Kharge, you owe an apology to the country. On behalf of the BJP, we demand that you apologise for calling the people of Gujarat illiterate," he said, adding that such remarks were "divisive" and unbecoming of the president of a national party.