People from Gujarat staged a protest outside the Congress national headquarters on Wednesday
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NEW DELHI — People from Gujarat staged a protest outside the Congress national headquarters on Wednesday, opposing objectionable remarks made by AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge against Gujarat and its people.
The protest follows a controversial statement made by Kharge on April 5 during an Assembly election campaign speech in Kerala, where he reportedly referred to people in Gujarat as “illiterate” and claimed they were being “fooled” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At the same time, Kharge said that neither PM Modi nor Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan could mislead the people of Kerala, whom he described as “very clever and educated”.
“Don’t misguide the people of Kerala. They are very clever and educated. Modiji, Vijayan, you both can fool people who are illiterate in Gujarat or other places, but you cannot fool the people of Kerala,” Kharge said during his speech.
Several protesters gathered outside the Congress office, expressing anger over the remarks.
One protester told IANS that such comments insult the people of Gujarat and ignore their contributions to the nation.
Another protester said, “During the freedom struggle, Mahatma Gandhi, who was also from Gujarat, played a significant role. Today, leaders like Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are making us proud and contributing to development. The Congress party is losing its grip across states, and such statements reflect their frustration. I don’t understand what they gain from making such remarks.”
Speaking to IANS, BJP MP Dhaval Patel strongly criticised Kharge’s statement. “Kharge, during his Kerala campaign, said that six crore people of Gujarat are illiterate. This has caused widespread anger among Gujaratis, which is why we are protesting. This is not the first time such remarks have been made. Even Rahul Gandhi and others have made similar comments in the past,” he alleged.
He further said that such statements reflect a negative attitude towards Gujaratis and claimed that Congress makes such remarks out of political frustration, knowing it has limited prospects in the state.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor expressed concern over the declining quality of political discourse, stating that standards should not be lowered to match those who use inappropriate language.