The Congress on Friday will submit a petition to the Election Commission against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his controversial comment at an election rally in Kasargod, Kerala earlier this week, ANI reported. Modi had compared Kerala to the sub-Saharan nation and said infant mortality rates among the Schedule Tribe community were worse in Kerala than Somalia.

The prime minister has faced criticism from the public and from political parties after his remarks ahead of the May 16 polls. On Thursday, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said Modi’s remark had humiliated Keralites all over the world, and that people wanted an “unconditional apology” from him, PTI reported. He said, “We are number 1 in Human Development Index while Gujarat is placed at 11th position. The Prime Minister should give us an explanation.” Chandy also said he was considering taking legal action against the prime minister.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) said Kerala was not like Somalia because the Bharatiya Janata Party had never come to power in the state.