BJP seeks Chowdhury's apology for calling Modi, Shah

BJP members in Lok Sabha on Monday protested against Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah as "infiltrators" and sought his apology, saying they will not tolerate such an "insult".

Members of treasury benches were on their feet as Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi attacked the Leader of the Congress in the House and then took a swipe at the party over its President Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin by dubbing her an "infiltrator".

Joshi said he is forced to draw this inference that the Congress led by an infiltrator will pursue others in a similar manner.

Chowdhury, who had made the infiltrator barb at the BJP bigwigs while speaking on the contentious National Register of Citizens issue, sought to explain his remarks and said he will apologise if the BJP is not satisfied with his reponse.

He used the opportunity to underline his opposition against the NRC, saying his family had come from Bangladesh.

"We do not have many documents so if somebody calls (us) an infiltrator, we cannot do much," he said.

However, BJP members continued with their protests, forcing Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to adjourn the House amid ruckus.

Joshi said his remarks were an "outright insult" to people who had given Modi a solid mandate in the recent Lok Sabha elections and that they showed that the Congress is still not able to come to terms with its defeat.

The minister said India's prestige has enhanced in the world under Modi's leadership and such an insult to him and Shah cannot be tolerated.

"You will have to apologise," Joshi's deputy Arjun Ram Meghwal said.

Joshi asked if Chowdhury can be called an infiltrator because he is from West Bengal.

BJP members also accused Chowdhury of running a "syndicate" in West Bengal for helping Bangladeshi infiltrators become Indian citizens.