Himachal BJP chief refuses to apologise for alleged derogatory remark against Rahul Gandhi

Bharatiya Janata Party’s Himachal Pradesh unit president Satpal Singh Satti on Monday defended his alleged derogatory comments about Rahul Gandhi. He claimed that he was merely reading from another person’s Facebook post, The Indian Express reported. The Congress said it has informed the Election Commission about Satti’s comments and even lodged a police complaint against the BJP.

On Sunday, Satti had criticised Gandhi for using the phrase “chowkidar chor hai” (watchman is a thief) while referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP leader was addressing party workers in the state’s Solan district. “Rahul Gandhi’s mother is out on bail,” Satti is heard saying in a video clip of his speech. “He is out on bail. His brother-in-law is [Robert Vadra] out on bail. But no case has been filed against Modi, nor is he out on bail, nor did any judge give him a punishment. Who is Rahul Gandhi to call Modi a thief, like a judge?”

Satti was referring to bail granted to United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald Case and to Vadra in a money laundering case.