Cong Slams Satpal Satti Over ‘Derogatory Comments’ on Rahul Gandhi

In the video of the incident, it is unclear if Satti is being abusive or just crass.

Narendra Modi (L); Sonia Gandhi (M) (Photos: Reuters) and Rahul Gandhi (R)( Photo: PTI)

(Photo: Reuters/PTI/ Altered by The Quint)

On Saturday, 13 April, BJP’s state unit chief Satpal Singh Satti targeted Congress President Rahul Gandhi at a public event in Baddi, Solan from the Shimla parliamentary constituency.

Satti commented on Rahul’s "chowkidar chor hai” taunt at PM Modi, and called Rahul and the entire Gandhi family “thieves.” He added that many Gandhi family members, like Sonia Gandhi and Robert Vadra are out on bail, and so Rahul is not in any position to comment.

Subsequently, the Himachal Pradesh unit of the Congress sought an apology from Satti, accusing him of using derogatory remarks against Gandhi, reported PTI.

News agency ANI caught the video, and it is unclear if Satti was being crass in calling the Gandhi family thieves or if he was using an expletive.

State Congress' chief spokesperson Naresh Chauhan alleged that Satti’s comments were derogatory, and that he should tender an apology.

Chauhan added that otherwise the Congress might file a complaint with the Election Commission against him, reported PTI.

“We are taking the opinion of our legal cell. Subsequently, we may file a formal complaint against him with the EC,”

Naresh Chauhan

In an NDTV report, state congress chief Kuldeep Rathore added that this sort of abusive language was not expected from a senior politician.

(With inputs from PTI and NDTV)