Bengaluru, Oct 10 (IANS) Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Saturday strongly condemned Karnataka Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa’s alleged derogatory remark referring to President Droupadi Murmu as a “silent President” and demanded that he immediately apologise to her.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, Kumaraswamy said the alleged disrespectful remark against the President, who occupies the country’s highest constitutional office, was strongly condemnable.
Referring to President Murmu, a woman from a tribal community who holds the country’s highest constitutional position, he said the comment “silent President” reflected what he described as the Congress party’s anti-constitutional and arrogant mindset.
“What else can be expected from such Karnataka Congress leaders who are engaged in servitude to the fake Gandhi family?” Kumaraswamy said, criticising the Congress leadership.
He further accused Bangarappa of disregarding constitutional and democratic values through the alleged remark and demanded that the state Education Minister apologise to the President without delay.
While speaking to the media regarding the Congress leadership’s plans to meet with the President over ongoing political disputes—including allegations of voter list manipulation and the targeting of opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi—Bangarappa on Friday stated that everyone knows it is a “silent President”.
He further alleged that the President is heavily influenced or pressured by the Prime Minister. He expressed skepticism about the outcome of submitting memorandums, claiming the Prime Minister would likely just instruct the President to accept the application and send them away without any real solution.
He alleged that this was why attempts were being made to delete voters’ names through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The BJP’s political strategies of provoking people in the name of Pakistan and religion have become ineffective. The BJP has realised that it can no longer win elections by projecting Modi’s face. Therefore, it has resorted to electoral fraud by deleting voters’ names, Bangarappa alleged.
Referring to allegations that crores of voters’ names were being removed from electoral rolls across the country, he said the media should raise serious questions about the issue. He said the media also had a responsibility to protect democracy and bring the facts before the public.
Bangarappa further alleged that BJP leaders were using the Chief Election Commissioner as a puppet at their disposal.
–IANS
mka/skp
