The BJP slammed Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday for suggesting that Ram Nath Kovind became president because he was a Dalit, saying it showed the "anti-Dalit" mindset of Congress and demanded an apology from him.
The party urged the Election Commission to take suo-moto cognisance of the statement and take action against Gehlot.
"It is very unfortunate that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, a senior Congress leader who himself is on a constitutional post, made a casteist remark against the president, the custodian of the Constitution," BJP spokesperson GVL Narsimha Rao told reporters here.
Rao said Gehlot criticised the president saying he was appointed to the highest office "only because of his social identity being a member from the Dalit community".
At a press conference in Jaipur, Gehlot suggested the BJP-led NDA picked Kovind over L K Advani as its presidential nominee because of his caste. He also linked Kovind's appointment to Gujarat polls.
Under flak, Gehlot later tweeted he was "misquoted"and has the greatest regard for the president. He said he was "highly impressed" with Kovind's "simplicity and humbleness".
Rao responded to Gehlot's tweet, saying a "profuge apology was expected and not a silly attempt at blaming media for your condemnable comments."
Asked about Gehlot's remarks, Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, "We feel that people of all castes have elected Kovind ji as President of India and we should respect that."
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