FIR against Giriraj Singh as BJP distances itself from Pak remark
21 April 2014 12:59 AM GMT
The defiant leader, however, refused to apologise, even though an FIR for inflammatory speech was registered against Giriraj at a local police station in Jharkhand’s Deoghar — where he had made the remarks at a poll campaign on Saturday.
Barely a day after he branded critics of Narendra Modi as ‘pro-Pakistan’ elements, Singh, who is fighting the Lok Sabha poll from Nawada in Bihar, remained defiant on Sunday as well, repeating more or less the same statement in Bihar’s Bhagalpur constituency during campaigning. He alleged that Pakistan is trying to stop Modi from becoming the PM, and some in India are acting at its behest.
‘There are many powerful countries that don’t want Modi to become the prime minister. Pakistan is one of them... they have been trying to destabilise India with terror acts,’ the BJP leader said. ‘I said there are powers in India which are pro-Pakistan... who shelter terrorists and don’t want Modi to become the prime minister. They consider Pakistan their mentor,’ he added.
BJP, however, maintained that it was not what the party thought. BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said ‘the party clearly distances itself from the statement’, while former Bihar deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi said in a tweet: ‘BJP doesn’t approve of irresponsible statement given by Giriraj Singh.’
Party sources said Rajnath Singh also pulled up the Bihar legislator and sent a message asking him to refrain from making such comments.
Meanwhile, other parties, including the Congress, took turns to fire salvos at BJP, terming it ‘cheap politics to get cheap publicity’. The Congress, in a strong attack, questioned whether BJP leaders like LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Murli Manohar Joshi who allegedly oppose Modi would also be sent to Pakistan. Both Congress and the JD(U) filed complaints against the BJP leader with the Election Commission.
Also in Patna, workers of the JD(U) and the RJD burnt effigies of Giriraj Singh and former BJP president Nitin Gadkari — the latter targeted for his remarks that ‘casteism is in Bihar’s DNA.’
Barely a day after he branded critics of Narendra Modi as ‘pro-Pakistan’ elements, Singh, who is fighting the Lok Sabha poll from Nawada in Bihar, remained defiant on Sunday as well, repeating more or less the same statement in Bihar’s Bhagalpur constituency during campaigning. He alleged that Pakistan is trying to stop Modi from becoming the PM, and some in India are acting at its behest.
‘There are many powerful countries that don’t want Modi to become the prime minister. Pakistan is one of them... they have been trying to destabilise India with terror acts,’ the BJP leader said. ‘I said there are powers in India which are pro-Pakistan... who shelter terrorists and don’t want Modi to become the prime minister. They consider Pakistan their mentor,’ he added.
BJP, however, maintained that it was not what the party thought. BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said ‘the party clearly distances itself from the statement’, while former Bihar deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi said in a tweet: ‘BJP doesn’t approve of irresponsible statement given by Giriraj Singh.’
Party sources said Rajnath Singh also pulled up the Bihar legislator and sent a message asking him to refrain from making such comments.
Meanwhile, other parties, including the Congress, took turns to fire salvos at BJP, terming it ‘cheap politics to get cheap publicity’. The Congress, in a strong attack, questioned whether BJP leaders like LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Murli Manohar Joshi who allegedly oppose Modi would also be sent to Pakistan. Both Congress and the JD(U) filed complaints against the BJP leader with the Election Commission.
Also in Patna, workers of the JD(U) and the RJD burnt effigies of Giriraj Singh and former BJP president Nitin Gadkari — the latter targeted for his remarks that ‘casteism is in Bihar’s DNA.’
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