Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that he doesn`t appreciate Union Minister Salman Khurshid`s `impotent` remark on Bharatiya Janata Party`s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
"I do not appreciate this kind of comment...The kind of language,” the Gandhi scion said when he was asked to comment on Khurshid`s remark on the Gujarat Chief Minister.
Rahul Gandhi`s reaction came two days after the Union Minister described Modi as "impotent" for failing to prevent the communal riots in 2002 in Gujarat.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Manish Tewari today said that no comments on Khurshid`s remarks are needed as the Congress vice president has already clarified the party`s stand. However, the Congress leader said that if the BJP continues to use derogatory language then his party will aptly reply with decency.
Without taking the name of Modi, Khurshid, who is a sitting MP from Farrukhabad, asked why a man who aspires to be the prime minister of the country could not do anything during the 2002 riots.
The External Affairs Minister`s fresh salvo against the BJP prime ministerial candidate at a rally came as he raised questions on the Gujarat Chief Minister`s handling of the post-Godhra riots in 2002.
"Some people came, attacked and went, and you couldn`t protect. Are you not a strong man?," the senior Congress leader asked.
"We don`t accuse you (Modi) of killing people... Hamara aarop hai ki tum `napunsak`(impotent) ho. (Our accusation is that you are impotent). You couldn`t stop the killers," he added. `napunsak` is a term used for impotent men in Hindi.
Political leaders cutting across party lines criticised the External Affairs Minister for using such derogatory language against Modi.
Janata Dal United (JD-U) leader Sabir Ali criticised Khurshid for calling Modi "impotent".
"There could be differences between the political ideologies but using such languages is not acceptable. It is worst to use such languages," Ali said.
Khurshid`s remarks evoked sharp reactions from the BJP, which hit back, saying the incident shows the growing frustration in the Congress and that its Union Minister has lost his mental balance.
With PTI inputs
