The Congress on Friday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party over former Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat terming Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse a "patriot" and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must remove him from the party for such a statement.
Congress leader Vaibhav Walia said Rawat's remarks were not just an insult to the father of the nation but also an insult to the country.
Rawat on Wednesday termed Godse a patriot while mocking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for merely sharing the surname with the father of the nation.
"Gandhi ji was killed, that is a different issue. But as far as I have understood and read Godse, he too was a patriot. We do not agree with the killing of Gandhi ji," the BJP leader told reporters in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia.
Hitting out at the prime minister, Walia, at a press conference in New Delhi, said Modi hails Mahatma Gandhi when he goes abroad but an ex-chief minister of his own party calls the father of the nation's assassin a patriot.
"The eulogising of Godse must stop and to give a message for this Rawat must be shown the door by the BJP," said Walia, secretary in All India Congress Committee's communications department.
"If you (Modi) don't remove him from the party then it means what he has said has tacit consent from you," the Congress leader from Uttarakhand said.
Walia said the Congress was walking on the path shown by Rahul Gandhi to open 'mohabbat Ki dukan (shop of love)' in 'nafrat ka bazaar (market of hate)'.
"I would like to elaborate that what one gets in this nafrat ka bazaar, one gets hate, violence, rising prices, injustice to women. While we want to open 'mohabbat ki dukanein' which talks about love, compassion, brotherhood, and harmony, you get a cylinder for Rs. 500," he said.
"Modi ji remove this person (Rawat) from your party and send a message that eulogising the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi will not be tolerated," Walia said.
