As a huge political row erupted, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal on Tuesday slammed Nitish Rane for his "Kerala is mini Pakistan" remark and also condemned the BJP for using offensive language to target Kerala.
Taking to X, Venugopal said, "From time to time, the BJP deploys its hate mongers to spew venom against Kerala. Using terms like ‘Mini Pakistan’ shows they have deep-rooted animosity for the people of Kerala."
"To use abusive language for the land of Sree Narayana Guru, Chattambi Swamikal and Mahatma Ayyankali, who advocated for egalitarianism, inclusivity and social justice, shows the BJP’s disregard for its own fellow citizens," he added.
Venugopal accused the BJP of disregarding the values promoted by these leaders in the post.
"If PM Modi has any shame about Mr. Rane’s statements, he should sack him immediately. The people of Kerala have rejected, and will never accept the BJP for this very reason - they do not understand the beauty of its harmonious living," the Congress leader stated.
Nitish Rane, son of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane, recently targeted Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and said the siblings were elected from Kerala's Wayanad because the state is "mini Pakistan".
"Kerala is mini Pakistan that is why Rahul Gandhi and his sister are elected from there. All terrorists vote for them. This is the truth, you can ask. They have become MPs after taking terrorists with them," Rane had said.
Later, after facing widespread criticism, Nitish Rane issued a clarification stating he was drawing a comparison between the situation in Kerala and Pakistan. "The way Hindus are treated in Pakistan... if such situations happen in our very own country, we must take action against that. That is what I was trying to say in my speech," he explained.
He also alleged issues of religious conversion and "love jihad" in Kerala.
(With inputs from ANI)
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