Bhupesh Baghel condemns Bhutto remarks against Modi

No one has the right to make such a statement about PM Modi, says Chhattisgarh Chief Minister

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has condemned Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for his remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While India has termed Mr. Bhutto Zardari’s remarks – made in New York on Thursday -- “uncivilised” and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made plans for nationwide protests over the issue, Mr. Baghel has become one of the key Opposition leaders in India to have reacted on the recent controversy.

“I condemn the statement made by Bilawal Bhutto, a befitting reply must be given. No one has the right to make such a statement about our PM. We’ve different political ideologies but this is about nation and Modi is our PM,” Mr. Baghel told news agency ANI in Raipur on Saturday, on the sidelines of events organised to mark his fourth year in power.

Mr. Bhutto Zardari had said, “Osama bin Laden is dead. But the butcher of Gujarat lives and he is the Prime Minister of India.”

Meanwhile, a controversy erupted in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh on Saturday over tweets made by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.  

Mr. Chouhan targeted the late PM’s record on national security, in the context of the latter’s son, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying that India was ignoring a threat of war from China. “When Rajiv Gandhi was the prime minister, even most insignificant of countries would throw a scare at us. Today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Mr. @narendramodi Ji, a magnificent, glorious, powerful India is in the making. Rahul Gandhi should not engage in unrestrained talks. Now no one dares to raise an eye towards India,” he tweeted.

Condemning these remarks, former CM and State Congress president Kamal Nath, in a series of tweets, said that the CM was using “undignified language”.