Even as a global controversy is raging over the alleged derogatory remarks of two former BJP spokespersons on Prophet Muhammad, a minister of the Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday termed the Congress an anti-national party that put India's credibility at stake on international arena.
Culture minister Usha Thakur, known for her controversial remarks, said at Indore that although development was always the agenda of the BJP, the upcoming local bodies' (panchayats and civic bodies) polls in Madhya Pradesh will be fought between patriots and anti-nationals (deshbhakt aur deshdrohi).
Thakur said during its 65 years rule, the Congress plunged the country into throes of mismanagement, conspired to create social rifts through appeasement and forced Kashmiri people to live a hellish life.
“The BJP resolved all these problems completely and therefore it is a patriot party,” Thakur said, adding that the Congress did nothing but create problems in 65 years. “It had put the credibility of India at stake on the international arena. We had become a nation of corrupt, thieves and criminals. It is because of the strong leadership of (prime minister Narendra) Modi ji that the country has been able to regain its global credibility,” the minister said.
Reacting to Thakur's statement, chief of MP Congress media department K.K. Mishra tweeted: “According to MP minister sister Usha Thakur, now the local bodies' polls are to be between patriots and anti-nationals rather than (on the agenda of) on development. Who is anti-national when your leadership has had to publicly apologise due to Nupur Sharma?”
Mishra's response came in context of the recent controversy where India is firefighting on diplomatic level after about 15 Islamic nations took formal umbrage to the statements of ex-BJP spokespersons against Prophet Mohammad. The BJP suspended national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled Delhi's media cell chief Naveen Jindal after the outrage. There were also reports of the party asking its leaders, known for their inflammatory and controversial statements, to go slow over contentious issues.