The Congress on Sunday reiterated its demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologise for his remarks last year, accusing his predecessor Manmohan Singh and other party members of colluding with Pakistan to influence the Gujarat Assembly elections, PTI reported.
Citing a Right to Information application filed by Congress member Saket Gokhale, party spokesperson Pawan Khera said Modi made the remarks based on informal information received from multiple sources.
“You have set a precedent,” Khera said at a press briefing on Saturday. “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 leaders.”
Terming the allegations “low grade”, Khera said, “The BJP does not know how to conduct itself when it wins an election, when it loses one and when it is in the government,” according to The Hindu.
In a speech at Gujarat’s Palanpur in December, Modi spoke of a “secret meeting” at former minister Mani Shankar Aiyar’s house and accused him, Manmohan Singh and some other leaders of conspiring with Pakistani officials to influence an election in India. A retired Pakistani army officer is also trying to interfere in the process, he had claimed.
Singh wrote to Modi soon after, accusing him of setting a “dangerous precedent” and demanding an apology. The Winter Session of Parliament too was stalled for several days on the matter. Both sides decided to bury the hatchet only after the government and the Opposition backtracked, reported The Hindu.
Pakistan also reacted to this accusation, and said, “India should stop dragging Pakistan into its electoral debate and win victories on own strength, rather than fabricated conspiracies, which are utterly baseless and irresponsible,”
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