Priyank Kharge defends ‘nalayak’ remark, says it showed PM Modi’s hollow promises

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, May 05, 2023: Congress leader Priyank Kharge in his reply to the Election Commission (EC) notice has said that he has not violated the model of conduct and that he only referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s "empty" rhetoric for the Banjara community at an election rally as “nalayak (inept).”

 

Responding to the Election Commission (EC)’s notice, Priyank, the Congress’s incumbent MLA and candidate from Karnataka’s Chittapur seat, in his three-page long reply, said, "The imputation attributed to me has to be seen in the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks made at Kalaburagi for the Banjara community, which has been deeply hurt by the anti-Banjara-Scheduled Caste policies of the Modi-Bommai Governments, who have done nothing for the SC-Banjara community (along with the entire SC-ST fraternity), except for paying lip service and then trampling upon their rights," he said.

What was most painful to every member of the SC and ST community, he said, was that the increased reservation for them had been brazenly rejected by the Modi government in their reply to the Parliament on March 14, 2023. “This has lacerated the soul of the SCs and STs across the state of Karnataka. This pains me immensely and especially because of the fact that the Nagamohan Das Committee, which recommended the enhanced reservations for SCs and STs, was appointed by me as Karnataka’s then Minister for Social Justice in order to do justice to the downtrodden sections of the society and bring them at par with full rights, respect and honour," he said.

"What is even more painful is that on one side our, i.e. SC’s and ST’s justifiable demands and right of reservation is rejected by the Modi Government and on the other side, we are mocked and ridiculed by none less than the Prime Minister of India,” he said. The EC had issued a show-cause notice to Priyank on Wednesday, May 3 for alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for his "nalayak" remark against the PM, asking him to submit his reply by 5 pm on Thursday.