Congress seeks PM's apology over remarks against Manmohan

The Congress on Saturday sought an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks against his predecessor Manmohan Singh and others alleging that they colluded with Pakistan to influence Gujarat election process last year.

Citing an RTI reply received from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on June 1, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said Modi's remarks were based on informal and formal information given to him by multiple sources.

Khera took a dig at Modi for making a statement based on information received from informal sources at a time when he is an elected leader and has pledged allegiance to the Constitution.

Demanding an apology from the Prime Minister, Khera said: "You have set a precedent. What is informal about the constitutional post? You have taken oath under the Constitution. You are gathering information from informal sources and you are questioning the leaders."

"The information sought pertains to the PM speaking during a political campaign. The information sought does not relate to a political matter or a decision of the government. So with regard to the Prime Minister, he is entitled to receive informal or formal information from multiple sources," Khera quoted the RTI plea as saying.

The Congress spokesperson asked Modi to give evidence for his allegations against Manmohan Singh, former Army chief Deepak Kapoor and former Foreign Secretary Salman Haider that they met Pakistani authorities for influencing the election process.

He said: "We have been witnessing for the last four years that Modi loses his patience in any level of election and starts talking strange which no one would have ever heard from any Prime Minister."

"What kind of image of India is he creating before the world, especially when every word of the PM is analysed the world over? He should apologise to the country. The statement was a 'low-level jumla'. If he does not apologise, it will be a serious threat to democracy," Khera said.

--IANS

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