Kharge, His Son Never Indulged In Criminal Activities: K'taka Minister On 'Poisonous Snake' Remark ​

(MENAFN- IANS) Kalaburagi, April 9 (IANS) Karnataka Medical Education, Skill Development, Livelihood, and Raichur District In-charge Minister Sharanaprakash R. Patil has said that All India Congress Committee President and senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge, as well as Kharge's son, Minister Priyank Kharge, have never engaged in any criminal activity and have instead worked towards building society, not dividing it.​

Speaking to reporters at his residence in Kalaburagi on Thursday, Patil said that Mallikarjun Kharge has never personally criticised anyone and has only spoken about organisational issues.​

Clarifying Kharge's recent controversial remarks, he said that the statement about“crushing a poisonous snake” should be understood in an ideological context, meaning opposition to a particular ideology. ​

He added that no one has the right to attack anyone and that Kharge's statement meant harmful ideologies must be opposed with awareness and understanding.​

Patil further said that Mallikarjun Kharge has maintained a highly transparent public life and is a leader who treats everyone with affection. ​

“In his six-decade-long political career, Kharge has always practised politics based on principles and has never created a situation that leads to social discord,” he added.​

He alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party is misinterpreting Kharge's remarks to the public. Patil said that such expressions are common in political discourse, but BJP leaders are trying to portray them as serious wrongdoing.​

“I strongly condemn the statements made irresponsibly by the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, and BJP leaders. It is not right to make politically motivated allegations while criticising Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks,” Patil said.​

He added that in the past, BJP leaders and PM Modi had also referred to the Congress party as a terrorist organisation. BJP leaders regularly criticise former prime ministers late Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, and often speak lightly about others; that is the BJP's culture, he said.​

Earlier, during an election rally in Assam's Sribhumi district on Monday, Kharge, citing the Quran, said that if a poisonous snake is passing in front of someone, even if he is offering namaz, then he should leave the namaz and kill that poisonous snake.​

“I would say that breaking the namaz does not matter. The RSS and the BJP are that poisonous snake,” the Congress President had said.​

Taking objection to the controversial 'poisonous snake' remark by the Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and the act of defending it by his son and Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge, the Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday demanded that the Centre should file a case against the two Congress leaders and send them to Tihar Jail.​

Speaking to the media at the State BJP office 'Jagannath Bhavan' in Bengaluru, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy made the statement in this regard.​

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