The Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday sought action against Congress leader Belur Gopalakrishna for calling for the assassination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Instigating for assassination of PM of a country is a [national] threat,” the saffron party said in a tweet. The party tagged the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Bengaluru Police Commissioner Suneel Kumar, and sought immediate legal action.
The video is from an event organised by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee on February 4 to condemn an outfit that had recreated the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the Deccan Herald reported.
“Those who speak for Nathuram Godse, the man who killed Mahatma Gandhi, should not be in this country, friends,” Gopalakrishna is heard saying in the video. “If they try to kill the country’s democracy...if you have the guts, you should shoot and kill your Modi. You won’t have to kill anybody else.”
The BJP on Tuesday also asked if Congress President Rahul Gandhi will take action against Gopalakrishna. “Well @RahulGandhi we remember you saying you don’t endorse hate politics but now that your own party leader has openly called for assassination of democratically elected PM of this Nation would you act on him,” the BJP asked. “If you don’t act, it clearly means you endorse his words.”
However, Gopalakrishna, later in the day, denied he had called for the prime minister’s assassination. “I have respect for the prime minister,” he said according to ANI. “How can I be silent when Gandhiji is disrespected? I said, will you do the same thing to the prime minister [assassinate him]?” The Congress leader said he will apologise if his comments had hurt anybody’s sentiments.
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