Tender apology for twisting Rahul’s remarks, Congress tells Modi

New Delhi, March 2 (IANS) The Congress on Thursday demanded a public apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for what it said was "misleading people by twisting and falsifying Vice President Rahul Gandhi's speech", and dubbed Modi a "habitual offender in telling lies".

The opposition party also said the Bharatiya Janata Party was "Bahut Jhooti Pathshaala".

"The media saw the video which depicts that blatant lies, 'jumlas' and misinformation that have become the hallmark of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

"The truth is Modi ji does not speak the truth and that is more than apparent in the video where he is trying to mislead the nation and the people of Uttar Pradesh about a remark made by Rahul Gandhi about the progress of a northeastern state, which is essentially a part of India's growth story," he said.

During an election rally in Maharajganj in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, Modi ridiculed Gandhi over a comment about coconuts growing in Manipur. But Gandhi never made any comment about coconuts in Manipur, his party said.

"Modi ji does not want the people of Manipur, people of the northeastern states, to progress and participate in India's growth story," Surjewala said.

"He must now apologise not only to the Congress but also to the entire nation and express regret publicly for misleading the people in Uttar Pradesh and the country by twisting and falsifying the words of the leader of the principal opposition party," he said.

"It does not behove of a Prime Minister. Modi ji has lowered the dignity of the office he holds and should be ashamed. We are sorry and sad in saying these words about the Prime Minister of India, who has become a habitual offender in telling lies and only lies," he added.

Modi had said: "There is a Congress leader, and I want to pray for his long life. He recently went to Manipur to address an election rally. There, he told farmers that he would extract juice from coconuts and send it to London. In fact, a coconut possesses water and it is grown in Kerala. Such a talented and farsighted leader he is."

However, during a campaign rally in Manipur on Tuesday, Gandhi had spoken about the state doing well in marketing its oranges, lemons and pineapples, and not coconuts.

(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)