Headlines
Gurudas Kamat hits back at the BJP
Mumbai, Jan 28
A day after the BJP attacked
senior Congress leader Gurudas Kamat for his comments on Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's marital status, he hit back saying "Modi is not god" who
can't be questioned, here Wednesday.
He also condemned
statements by some BJP leaders who he said were trying to spread
misinformation about his comments on union Minister Smriti Irani and
Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel vis-vis the plight of Jashodaben,
estranged wife of Modi.
"Why are the BJP leaders inferring
something which is not in our minds and nor was it inferred in my
statement? The BJP should ask its cadres and spokespersons how and why
they have such thoughts in their minds when we refer to Anandiben Patel
and Smriti Irani's elevation," Kamat wondered.
He pointed out
that it was the Congress party which always fought for empowering women,
raising their status and ensuring that they secured an equal share of
respect, stature, power and all other benefits as men.
"We only
wanted to point out that people in public life should, especially, set
an example by their own actions, which needs to be under scrutiny at all
times," Kamat contended.
Accordingly, he said, when the prime
minister of the country speaks about "empowering women" and "daving the
girl child", it certainly sounded hollow as he was the cause of misery
and desolation of his own wife Jasodaben, after marrying her and leaving
her stranded in one year, without ever looking back at her.
"This
is the biggest insult to women, which BJP Spokespersons should first
understand and ask their own leaders for accountability and 'balance
mind' before levelling allegations against others for mental imbalance,"
Kamat said, referring to BJP legislator Atul Bhatkalkar's statement
Tuesday that Kamat had "lost his mental balance".
He reminded the
BJP leaders that during the (2014 Lok Sabha) election campaign, Modi
called the late Sunanda Pushkar "a Rs.50 crore girlfriend" and other
distasteful statements against Congress leaders.
"Narendra Modi
is not god that he cannot be questioned...In a democracy, it is not only
our responsibility but our duty to question our leaders at all times,"
Kamat asserted.
Referring to Bhatkalkar's allegation that he
(Kamat) was sacked from the union cabinet, Kamat retorted that he had
resigned (in July 2011) after he was elevated from minister of state
rank to independent charge, and deployed for party work.
Later,
he said the party honoured him by making him an AICC general secretary
and a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest policy
making body of the Congress.