Echoing the sentiments of party leaders at the national-level, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Sunday demanded that BJP national president Amit Shah tender an unconditional apology for terming the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi a chatur Baniya .
In a statement, APCC official spokesperson Kolanukonda Sivaji launched a scathing attack on the BJP leader and warned that if the latter failed to apologise, he would not be allowed to step in Andhra Pradesh.
Mr. Shah stirred a controversy by calling Mahatma Gandhi a Chatur Baniya, drawing criticism from the Congress which said it was an insult to the Father of the Nation and the freedom movement.
Pointing to the fact that the word Baniya , a caste of traders and merchants, was often used pejoratively to suggest a trait of shrewdness, Mr. Sivaji said a leader like Mr. Shah who had a criminal background had no right to even utter the name of the Mahatma.
He said the people had realised that the BJP’s three-year-rule was a big failure and Mr. Amit Shah was going around different States making such derogatory statements to divert people’s attention. This was a proof that the BJP’s attempt was to whip communal passions among different castes and communities.
Mr. Sivaji said every politician, regardless of party affiliations, must condemn this. He wondered why Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who evoked Mahatma Gandhi’s name at the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, was silent.
Turning the heat to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, he said the latter did not hesitate to condemn U.S. President Donald Trump. “Why is he not reacting to the BJP leader’s statement now,” he asked.
He said the Modi government had achieved nothing in these three years. Promises were made to generate employment for one crore people, bring back black money stashed in foreign banks and bring prices of essential commodities within the reach of the common man. But none of these was implemented and instead, the BJP had been shielding tax-evaders like the Ambanis and the Adanis.
The Congress leader alleged that farmers’ unrest had reached its peak in the BJP-ruled States like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan and reminded that five farmers had died in the firing while protesting for their rights in Madhya Pradesh.
