Congress demands Modi's apology over remarks concerning Renuka

The Congress on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "lowering the dignity of his office" with his remarks in Parliament regarding party MP Renuka Chowdhury and demanded his apology.

Talking to reporters here, Congress leader Anand Sharma said Modi had distorted history to mislead the people and used a language no Prime Minister had done before.

"We condemn the language, false accusations, defamatory words, distortion and insult of history that the Prime Minister did in Parliament yesterday (Wednesday)," Sharma said.

He alleged Modi had shown disrespect to three past Prime Ministers belonging to the Congress.

Referring to Modi's remarks following loud laughter by Chowdhury in the Rajya Sabha, the Congress leader said: "Merely, a woman parliamentarian was laughing at his claims... what was alluded to (by Modi) is shameful."

"We condemn it. He should apologise. One of his Ministers has in social media posted something which is highly objectionable and the Prime Minister is silent," Sharma said.

Another party spokesperson Sushmita Dev also demanded an apology from Modi.

Dev said in a statement that she was shocked "at the utterly sexist and downright distasteful comment" by Modi.

"It belittles the PM's office and amounts to insult to each and every woman in the country. To mock her in this manner is extremely unfortunate and it evokes the same emotion in me when someone makes a disrespectful comment to a woman on the street," Dev said.

Modi on Wednesday took a dig at Chowdhury after she laughed loudly when he claimed that the Aadhaar idea was conceptualised during the (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee government.

"Chairman sir, don't stop Renuka ji. Ever since I have seen Ramayana (serial), I have for the first time got an opportunity to hear such laughter," Modi said to the thumping of desks by treasury benches in the Rajya Sabha.

Referring to Modi's remarks against Nehru, Sharma claimed Modi is "intellectually inadequate to register the greatness" of independent India's first Prime Minister.

He said it was in 1935 that the All India Congress Committee at its Lucknow Session had adopted the resolution that independent India will be a 'parliamentary democracy'.

Sharma said on December 23, 1946, Nehru moved the objectives resolution and for the first time used the word 'republic'.

--IANS

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