Gadkari regrets calling Lalu, Mulayam ‘dogs’

BJP president Nitin Gadkari on Thursday regretted his remarks against chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Lalu Prasad Yadav, in which referred to them as “dogs who lick Sonia Gandhi’s feet”.

Gadkari said he respected Mulayam and Lalu as senior political leaders and the words used for them were proverbial. “I did not intend to hurt or run down the two leaders,” he said. The BJP chief said he stood to withdraw his words because in democracy respect among political leaders was a cardinal principle.

Claiming that he did not know that his comments would create such a furore, Gadkari said he had used a phrase, but a “wrong impression” had gone out. “Meri baat ki bhavna alag thi. Maine sirf ek muhavare ka tor par bolo tha (What I meant was different. I was only using a phrase)”, he said.

Castigating two Yadavs for not supporting the cut motions in the Lok Sabha, Gadkari, while addressing a party meeting on Wednesday, had said, “Bade dakaarte the sher jaise, aur kutte ke jaise ban kar Soniaji aur Congress ke ghar par talve chatne lage (They were roaring like lions but later bowed like dogs to lick the feet of Sonia and the Congress).”

He had alleged that they had gone against the cut motions due to “fear” of the CBI.

When asked if he had brought politics to abysmally low level with his remarks, Gadkari said he had nothing more to say on the matter.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) activists staged a protest outside the Chandigarh Press Club where Gadkari was interacting with the media. They condemned the “unparliamentary remarks” used by Gadkari for RJD leader Lalu Prasad while addressing a rally here Wednesday.