Surjewala calls BJP-JJP men ‘rakshas’; Khattar hits backs calling him ‘rakshas pravriti’

Surjewala added: “Today, from this land of Mahabharata, I curse them.” Haryana CM Khattar and several BJP leaders on Monday slammed Surjewala’s remarks calling those voting for the ruling party as having “demonic tendencies”.
Khattar said a person born in a family of “demonic tendency” can only think of using such indecent language.

“I think this is unparliamentary language and we will take cognisance of it,” Khattar told reporters in Karnal.
Union Minister Hardeep Puri said Surjewala’s party is descending into “irrelevance” and such absurd remarks show they have decided to stay permanently in the Opposition.

BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia demanded that Congress take action against Surjewala.

“Randeep Surjewala is uttering these words against the people of this country. People are to be worshipped, they are the foundation of any democracy. Randeep Surjewala should apologise to the country and the Congress should take action against him,” he said.

Haryana Deputy Chief Minister and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala too lashed out at Surjewala. “Calling voters that they are of ‘raakshas pravariti’ reflects his (Surjewala) mentality … We consider voters as our God. They cast their votes to steer the country in the right direction and they (Surjewala) call them ‘raakshas”, it is their low thinking,” said Chautala.

JJP legal cell president Balwan Suhag said the party would take legal action against Surjewala adding that the party would file a defamation and criminal complaint against him. Suhag said that the JJP will lodge police complaints against Surjewala in all districts of Haryana.

However, Surjewala got support from his party colleague Pawan Khera. Speaking in Jaipur, Khera said that the present political fight in the country is going on between “demons and humans”. He also said the country needs a responsible prime minister, not a “publicity minister”.

To a question on Surjewala’s comment at a recent rally in Haryana, Khera said, “The prime minister spoke for 2 hours and 13 minutes in Parliament. Sloppy jokes were cracked. Slogans were raised. You have seen what happened to women in Manipur. So, you tell me if this is not a demonic mentality, then what is?”

On Monday, Surjewala put out a clarification, defending his comments and accusing the BJP of clinging onto words to murder the issues raised by him. This government repeatedly tries to hide its failures behind emotional issues, he alleged.

Citing several alleged failures of the government, including communal violence in Nuh, he said,” Are those who have thrown society into the fire of hate and killed the dreams of youngsters are any less than demons?”
Hitting back, Union Minister and BJP’s state election-incharge Pralhad Joshi on Monday said the “people have been seeing who is a demon since the Emergency era”.

He said they “turned voters into demons”, which is an insult to them and it also reflects the “egoistic mentality” of the Congress and the party should unconditionally apologise for the comments.

“Since the Emergency era, people know who is a demon. This statement reflects the egoistic mentality of the Congress and it should unconditionally apologise,” Joshi said.