Former Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday expressed disapproval over BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel's statement referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as a "drug addict and peddler".
"No one should speak like that about anyone. I will ask Kateel on what basis he said that. It is unnecessary," Yediyurappa told reporters on the sidelines of the Sindgi bypoll campaign. "Be it Rahul Gandhi or someone else, everybody has to be respected and no one should be disrespected."
Kateel faced flak by the Congress for his comments, with Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar demanding an apology for the sake of keeping the political discourse civil.
Yediyurappa's disapproval came even as BJP spokesperson Ganesh Karnik defended Kateel.
According to Karnik, Kateel's statement on Rahul was based on BJP MP Subramanian Swamy's interview. "In that interview, [Swamy] said that in 2001 Rahul Gandhi was detained by the FBI for allegedly possessing contraband worth Rs 1.6 lakh dollars. Based on a request by the then Congress and UPA chief Sonia Gandhi, the then PM Vajpayee spoke to the then US president George Bush and got Rahul released. This was reported in the media. This is what Kateel was referring to," Karnik said, adding that Rahul and Sonia had not objected.
"Those who are servile to one family are protesting," he added.
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