Karnataka Assembly election 2023: Priyank Kharge gets EC notice over ‘nalayak’ jibe at PM Modi
2 min read . Updated: 03 May 2023, 07:46 PM IST
PremiumPriyank Kharge is the son of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, who himself faced a furor over his ‘venomous snake’ jibe against the Prime Minister
Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday issued notice to Congress leader Priyank Kharge over his ‘nalayak’ remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an election speech in Karnataka. The election body opined that prima-facie, the remarks appears to be a breach of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). Priyank Kharge is asked to submit his response by 4 May, after which the commission will take the appropriate action in the matter.
Priyank Kharge is the son of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, who himself faced a furor over his ‘venomous snake’ jibe against the Prime Minister.
The notice comes after the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) moved to the Election Commission seeking action against Priyank Kharge's jibe against PM Modi.
“When you (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) came to Gulbarga (Kalaburagi) what did you tell the people of Banjara community? “Aap sab log dariye mat. Banjara ka ek beta Dilli mein Baitha hai (You do not be afraid. A son of Banjara is sitting in Delhi.)," said Priyank Kharge, quoting from Modi's speech.
"Aisa nalayak beta baitha to kaise hota bhai? Ghar kaise chalega?" (If an inept son is sitting in Delhi, how can you run the family?), he asked, addressing the people.
Sharing his video on Twitter, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya said that the Congress leader should think about saving his seat.
“What would Priyank Kharge be doing if he wasn’t Mallikarjun Kharge’s son? It is anybody’s guess! It is quite rich for someone, who is feeding of his father’s name, to call a democratically elected PM ‘nalayak’. It is fine to disagree with the PM, criticize him, but calling him names shows a depraved mind (sic)," Malviya said in a tweet.
Karnataka will go to state assembly polls on 10 May and the results will be announced on 13 May. BJP, Congress, and JD(S) are in the fray for the 224-assembly house with two national parties fighting with much intensity. While BJP is fighting on issues like UCC, caste reservation, and double-engine government, Congress is trying to bank on the communal tensions in the state and has promised to increase the percentage of reservations.