New Delhi/Ranchi: With Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren being heckled at a function attended by Narendra Modi, the Congress yesterday stepped up its attack on the prime minister with a party leader advising opposition chief ministers to avoid public functions attended by the premier.
The Bharatiya Janata Party described the sloganeering as a reflection of unpopularity of incumbent governments.
Soren complained of heckling after he delivered his speech in Modi’s presence, and said a new tradition has started in federal polity. “The prime minister should take note of it,” Soren said.
Soren faced some awkward moments as BJP activists raised slogans hailing Modi while he was speaking. Soren said that heckling of opponents at official functions in the presence of the prime minister amounted to ‘rape’ of centre-state relations.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday said he will not attend the foundation stone-laying of the Nagpur metro rail project by Modi.
Chavan said there was a possibility of ruckus by BJP workers as it happened in Haryana at a function on Tuesday at Kaithal in which Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda shared the dais with Modi.
Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmed said heckling of opposition chief ministers started in Jammu and Kashmir where Omar Abdullah faced a similar situation in the presence of Modi.
“It was repeated in Solapur in Maharashtra. Then, Bhupinder Singh Hooda had to face (booing). Today it was Hemant Soren,” Ahmed said.
He said “any self-respecting chief minister will avoid attending public functions (with Modi)”, except extending protocol.
“It (the heckling) was well-planned and orchestrated by Modi and his party. The prime minister talked of working as a team. Being captain of the team, he is trying to back-stab. The prime minster, whose main responsibility is to strengthen the spirit of the constitution, is himself trying to weaken it. This is very unfortunate,” Ahmed said.
IANS
