War of words over Randeep Surjewala’s ‘demon’ remark

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday mounted a sharp attack on Congress’s Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala’s for his ‘demon’ remarks.

“This is undemocratic language and we will surely take note of it,” said chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Haryana home minister Anil Vij on his X handle wrote, “It seems that the optical nerve of Randeep Singh Surjewala has been damaged as he is seeing demon in devta [sic] Voters are God of any democracy.”

While addressing the Congress ‘Jan Akrosh rally’ in Kaithal on Sunday, Surjewala said the BJP and the JJP are “parties of demons” and those who vote for and support the BJP have “rakshas pravarti” . “Today, on this land of the Mahabharata, I curse them (BJP-JJP),” the Congress leader had said.

“From Emergency till today, everyone has seen who is the ‘demon’. According to Congress’ mentality, if people vote for Congress, they are good people and they vote for BJP, they are ‘demons’...” Union minister and BJP leader Pralhad Joshi said.

Following the criticism, Surjewala took to social media, saying, “Those who are not filled with compassion, who do not love the people are not rulers, they are ‘asuras’ (demons)”

“The one who does not love farmers, labourers, youth! Emotion and sentiment in dialogue are more important than words, which only a sensitive person can understand,” the leader added.

Deputy chief minister and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala, meanwhile, also took strong objection to Surjewala’s statement, saying those who were associating themselves with the word INDIA a few days ago were now calling the voters demons. The deputy CM said the party should take action against their leader who gave such a statement.

Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera said here on Monday that the present political fight in the country is going on between “demons and humans”.