'They should be beaten with shoes': Congress MLA draws flak for comments on Modi, Shah

JAIPUR: Congress MLA in Rajasthan Ganesh Ghogra on Thursday drew flak from the BJP for his unparliamentary language against Governor Kalraj Mishra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a protest here against the alleged snooping of phones using Israeli Pegasus spyware.

The Congress staged a sit-in at the Raj Bhawan, demanding the resignation of Shah and a judicial inquiry into the Pegasus snooping controversy.

State Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra, party MLAs and workers participated in the protest.

Addressing party workers during the protest, Ghogra used unparliamentary language to accuse the governor of working for the BJP and equated Modi and Shah to an infamous criminal duo of the past.

He also said, "Inflation is at an all-time high and it has broken back of the common man. They (Modi and Shah) want to make our country a slave. Now, our personal talks are being taped. They should be chased and beaten with shoes."

Soon after his remarks, BJP leaders reached Ashok Nagar police station to get an FIR registered against the Dungarpur legislator.

The BJP's SC/ST Cell state president Jitendra Meena gave a memorandum to the police demanding action against him.

Various other leaders also met police officials.

The BJP's state president Satish Poonia slammed Ghoghra for the comments and alleged that it was a "traditional language of the Congress".

"The remarks against constitutional heads are highly condemnable and undemocratic. This is the traditional language of the Congress party. They consider themselves above constitutional institutions," Poonia said in a statement.

At the protest, the Rajasthan Congress president targeted the Union government and claimed that Prime Minister Modi did not fulfil the promises he had made before coming to power.

He termed the alleged snooping as a violation of the right to privacy enshrined in the Constitution and reiterated the demand for the resignation of Amit Shah and a judicial inquiry into the matter.