PM Modi works for country, PM is not the country: Kapil Sibal on Amit Shah's 'insult to country' remark

PM Modi works for country, PM is not the country: Kapil Sibal on Amit Shah's 'insult to country' remark

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Monday took a swipe at Home Minister Amit Shah's 'insult to the prime minister is an insult to the country' remark, saying his understanding of the Constitution is that the PM is not the country but works for it.

Sibal's dig came a day after Shah, while addressing a national convention of the Modi community in Ahmedabad, referred to Purnesh Modi's defamation suit that led to Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as an MP over his "Modi surname" remark.

"If someone insults a person, it is not a big deal, but if someone insults an entire community and country's PM, then it is an insult to the entire country. Purneshbhai fought this battle with firmness and won it. I congratulate him and others for fighting a battle for the dignity of your community. Entire country is with you," Shah had said.

Reacting to Shah's remarks, Sibal said on Twitter, "Amit Shah: 'Insult to PM is insult to country'. Amitji my understanding of the constitution is that: PM works for the country, PM is not the country. Just as: Government works for the country, government is not the country."

In his remarks, Shah said PM Modi gave the OBCs their due respect and understood the pain of poor citizens because he himself was born in such a family.

Sibal, who was a Union minister during UPA 1 and 2, had quit the Congress in May last year and was elected to the Rajya Sabha as an Independent member with the Samajwadi Party's support.

He recently floated a non-electoral platform 'Insaaf' aimed at fighting injustice.