Prime Minister Modi slammed for misleading remarks on Sitaram Kesri

The Congress attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, November 18, after he claimed that its former president Sitaram Kesri came from "a Dalit and exploited community", saying Kesri belonged to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and was not a Dalit.

"Kesri was a Bania OBC from Bihar and not a Dalit. However, when has the PM allowed facts or truth to stand in the way?" Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said through a sarcastic tweet, tagging a news report on Modi's speech in Chhattisgarh.

He said Kesri was treated with "due respect" by one and all. "As someone who was involved with his legal matters between 1996-1998, I can say it on authority," he said.

Modi, in an election speech in Chhattisgarh, claimed on Sunday that the Congress had thrown out its then president Kesri to install UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in his place. "The country knows how he was locked in a bathroom and then, thrown out of office and on the footpath to facilitate the entry of Sonia Gandhi as the new party chief," the Prime Minister claimed.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala also targeted Modi for his comments. "Dishing out new lies has become a habit of Modi ji. Look within and tell us how you treated these leaders of stature," he tweeted and named veteran BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalraj Mishra and Keshubhai Patel among others.

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Congress leader Tariq Anwar, who was a close associate of Kesri, also said the late leader was from Bania community. “PM is again wrong as Kesari ji was not a Dalit,he belonged to 'vaish' community. Kesari Ji himself offered to resign from post of Congress president if Sonia ji was ready to take over. At that time I was Sitaram Kesari's political advisor so I'm aware of it,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.

(With PTI inputs)