Bengaluru, Feb 4: Despite demands from Congress members and repeated requests by the Chair of the Legislative Council, BJP MLC C.T. Ravi on Tuesday refused to express regret over his controversial “Pakistani tongue” remark made in the House.
The remark was in response to a statement by Congress MLC Naseer Ahmad, who had referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “desh drohi” (anti-national).
As the issue could not be resolved despite prolonged discussions, the Council proceedings were adjourned to Wednesday.
On Monday, Congress MLC Naseer Ahmad had referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “desh drohi” in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during the discussion on the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address to the joint session.
Responding to the remark, BJP MLC C.T. Ravi said on Tuesday, “No Indian tongue will speak about the Prime Minister in this manner. Such a tongue must belong to Pakistan. If it were an Indian tongue, it would not have spoken like this. Only a Pakistani tongue can speak against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr Chairman, there is a need to find out whose tongue this is.”
Following Naseer Ahmad expressing regret over his remarks, Congress members demanded an apology from Ravi.
However, Ravi stated, “I have clarified many times that I have not used any unparliamentary words or harmed the dignity of the House. I have not taken the name of any member while making the statement. If a member addresses the Prime Minister—who has been elected by the people three times with a clear majority—as ‘desh drohi’, it is an insult to the people of the entire country.”
“Prime Minister is not confined to a single party. He belongs to all parties. My clear position is that those who use such language against the Prime Minister do not belong here. If the Prime Minister is called anti-national, then who is a patriot? To which country is he a traitor? If at all, he could only be considered a traitor by an enemy nation, not by this country,” he said.
Ravi further stated, “Regret has meaning only when it comes from the heart. What did the Congress members say? That if I withdraw my statement, they will withdraw their remark against the Prime Minister. Is there any commitment in that? Are they defending their statement against the Prime Minister?”
“I have only stated that whether it was a Pakistani tongue or an Indian tongue needs to be examined. I did not link any opposition member to Pakistan. I do not practice politics by betraying my conscience. When I first hoisted the BJP flag at my house in 1988, my father asked me which party it was. He suggested I join former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s party, but I chose the BJP because of ideology,” Ravi said.
“Our ideology is patriotism. The Sangh taught us about patriots like Ashfaqulla Khan and Hamid Khan. I am not targeting any community. Those who raised ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans in the corridors of Vidhana Soudha are Indian citizens, but they are not patriots. Patriotism is not just about being born here; it requires emotional commitment to the nation,” he opined.
“If that emotion had existed, Pakistan would not have been formed as a separate country. I reiterate that I have not targeted any community. I stand by my statement that an Indian tongue would not utter that the Prime Minister is anti-national,” he claimed.
Congress MLC Naseer Ahmad stood up and questioned whether BJP leader Sambit Patra had not called Rahul Gandhi anti-national and asked whether he could present records to that effect.
Ravi responded that the matter was confined to the House and that statements made outside the country could not be discussed. “I have not disrespected any individual. With due respect to the Chair, expressing regret for something I have not done would amount to betraying my conscience. I am not prepared to express regret,” he said.
Labour Minister Santosh Lad stated that there were instances in the past when the current Prime Minister, during his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister, had made harsh remarks against former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi. “Let us not go into that. Ravi is my friend, but we do not agree with his statement, and the Chairman should intervene,” he said.
Law Minister H.K. Patil stated, “MLC Ravi had agreed to abide by the decision of the Chair. Since there is no specific provision to take action, the Chair has repeatedly requested you. That itself indicates that a mistake has been committed. The Chair has made the request not once but five times.”
Leader of the Opposition Chalavadi Narayanaswamy stated, “We are ready to cooperate and have tolerated everything. This is turning into a tit-for-tat situation.”
Minister N. Bose Raju, who is also the floor leader, said Ravi should respond and tender an apology. Considering the deadlock, the House was adjourned to Wednesday.
