Samajwadi Party today said it will go to court against BJP chief Nitin Gadkari for his remarks against party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and RJD leader Lalu Prasad.

"Nitin Gadkari has used objectionable language against senior leaders like Mulayam Singh and Lalu Prasad. The kind of language used by him shows that though he represents a national party, he has a very narrow minded approach... We are seeking legal opinion on the issue and will go to court against him," SP national spokesperson Mohan Singh told reporters here.

He said that Gadkari's comments reflect the deep-rooted bias which the RSS and BJP have against people of lower caste.

When asked whether the party would forgive Gadkari, who has withdrawn his comments, Singh said, "We may accept his apology, but what about those millions of dalits and OBCs, whose feelings have been hurt by his comments."

He said the party would burn the effigy of RSS in protest against Gadkari's comments.

Gadkari had yesterday said, "Mulayam Singh aur Lalu Prasad jo Congress aur UPA ke virodh ki baat karte hain, woh bhi jaakar CBI ke saamne jhuk gaye .... bade dakartey the sher jaise, ab kuttey ke jaise ban kar Soniaji aur Congress key ghar par talve chatney lagey (Mulayam and Lalu who speak against Congress and UPA, they too have bowed before CBI ....

these leaders were roaring like lions but later bowed like dogs to lick the feet of Sonia and Congress)."

The SP General Secretary rubbished reports that his party broke opposition unity by siding with the UPA and abstaining from voting in favour of the cut motion.

Asked whether SP would offer its support to UPA if Trinamool Congress parted ways, another party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav said, "It is an imaginary question, we cannot reply to it."

In response to a question on whether SP supported the institution of Khap Panchayats, Mohan Singh said, "We oppose any institution that goes against the law of the land."

Meanwhile, a Lucknow report said SP workers burnt Gadkari's effigy and staged a demonstration in front of the Vidhan Bhawan.
 

Earlier report:

Gadkari expresses regret over comments

A day after his comments against Mulayam Singh Yadav and Lalu Prasad, BJP president Nitin Gadkari today expressed regret over his remarks, saying he had just used a phrase and had no intention of hurting anyone.

"I regret the comment made yesterday and take back my words. I have a lot of respect for Mulayam Singh Yadav and Lalu Prasad. I did not mean to hurt anyone directly or indirectly," he said at a meet-the-press programme here.

Claiming that he did not know that his comments would create such a furore, Gadkari said he had used a phrase, but a "wrong impression" had gone out.

"Meri baat ki bhavna alag thi. Maine sirf ek muhavare ka tor par bolo tha (What I meant was different.I was only using a phrase)", he said.

Castigating two Yadavs for not supporting the cut motions in the Lok Sabha, Gadkari, while addressing a party meeting here yesterday, had said, "Bade dakarte the sher jaise, aur kutte ke jaise ban kar Soniaji aur Congress ke ghar par talve chatne lage' (these leaders were roaring like lions but later bowed like dogs to lick the feet of Sonia and the Congress)."

He had alleged that they had gone against the cut motions due to "fear" of the CBI.

In a damage control exercise, the BJP president had offered to withdraw his words if the two Yadavs had felt bad.

But, the controversy refuses to die. The SP, RJD and Congress have lashed out at Gadkari over the matter forcing him to go defensive.

When asked to comment on SP threatening to move court over his remarks, he said, "You have to try to understand the spirit behind what I said".

To another question that some leaders had charged him with taking politics to a low level with his comments, he said, "I have said whatever I had to say. I think the matter should end now".

Earlier report:

War of words - Lalu hits back at Gadkari

RJD supremo Lalu Prasad today hit back at Nitin Gadkari for his derogatory remarks against him and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav for not supporting the cut motions in the Lok Sabha, saying the BJP President has gone "mentally bankrupt".

"We will first try to give Gadkari tablets to cure his mental bankruptcy, then put him on capsules and if the tablets and capsules fail, we will put him on injection," Prasad told a press conference here.

On Gadkari criticising the SP, RJD and BSP for not backing the NDA during the cut motions, alleging that they did so out of fear of the CBI, Prasad countered that Gadkari was spearheading a campaign against the CBI to save several leaders of his party who had allegedly stashed unaccounted black money with Swiss banks.

He claimed that since the CBI was about to take permission from the Congress-led government at the Centre for their prosecution, "Gadkari is spearheading a campaign against the investigating agency. The BJP president is desperate."

The Congress, he said, was scanning files involving ommission and commission by BJP leaders when the NDA was in power at the Centre, the RJD chief said.

He claimed that the CBI may be seeking the help of Interpol to uncover the money in Swiss banks and to know its source. "We are once again being targeted for political purposes and to pre-empt the CBI from prosecuting them," he added.

Earlier report:

SP threatens to take Gadkari to court

Samajwadi Party today threatened to move the court against BJP President Nitin Gadkari for his "objectionable" comments against party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad.

"Nitin Gadkari has used objectionable language against senior politicians leaders like Mulayam Singh and Lalu Prasad. The kind of language used by him shows that though he represents a national party, he has a very narrow minded approach... We are seeking legal opinion on the issue and will go to court against him," SP national spokesperson Mohan Singh told reporters here.

When told that Gadkari has apologised and withdrawn his remarks, Singh said, "We may accept his apology but what about millions of dalits and backwards whose sentiments have been hurt by his remarks?"

Singh said while RSS calls itself a guardian of Indian culture, a person like Gadkari who is backed by the organisation, has shown his true colours and bias against the two Yadav leaders.

Claiming that the Sangh too was biased against the two Yadavs, he said party workers will burn the effigy of RSS.

"It is unfortunate that the president of a party having stalwarts like Deen Dayal Upadhyay and Atal Bihari Vajpayee has made such remarks. We condemn it," Singh said.

Gadkari comments highly derogatory: Cong

A day after Nitin Gadkari made objectionable remarks against RJD chief Lalu Prasad and SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and later said he would take them back if the two leaders felt bad, Congress today said the BJP president used highly derogatory language.

"It is highly derogatory language. But we are not surprised... Soon after Gadkari was made BJP President, it was said that his stature was not of a national politician. He is justifying this impression with this kind of language," party spokesman Shakeel Ahmed said.

Another party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan termed Gadkari's remarks as "shocking and outrageous", saying he should apologise to the nation for bringing politics to such a low.

Yesterday at Chandigarh, Gadkari used derogatory insinuations against Prasad and Yadav for not supporting the opposition during cut motions in the Lok Sabha. Later, he however offered to take back the words if the two Yadavs felt bad.

Earlier report:

Gadkari sparks controversy with remarks on Lalu, Mulayam

BJP president Nitin Gadkari tonight courted a major controversy by making abusive remarks against Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad for not supporting the cut motions in the Lok Sabha.

Gadkari made the remarks while addressing a party meeting here.

In a damage-control exercise later while talking to mediapersons, the BJP chief offered to withdraw the words if the two Yadavs felt bad.

Gadkari lashed out at the SP, RJD and BSP for not supporting the NDA during the cut motion, alleging that they did so because of their "fear" of the CBI.

He said the two Yadavs "pretended to be lions" but later bowed down before the CBI. In this context, he also made some abusive remarks.

Referring to Mulayam, Lalu and BSP chief Mayawati, Gadkari said, "they are in opposition, but in reality they are hand-in-glove with Congress."

Mulayam and Lalu are "afraid" of CBI, he said and accused the investigation agency of "blackmailing Mayawati after which she changed her stance (on cut motion on price rise)".

Later, he told reporters that "I directly or indirectly never had any intention to (indulge in) loose talks, particularly about Mulayam Singhji and Laluji. I respect them as leaders."

He said his use of the words against the two Yadavs while addressing a party meeting should not be "taken literally as that was never my intention and it was never in my mind".

The Yadavs are "respectable leaders. If they feel something bad, then OK, no problem, I'll take my words back", Gadkari said.