New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS): Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera on Saturday took potshots at Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan over his demand for the formation of a ‘Sanatan Dharma Rakshana Board’ and said that his old statements on beef are enough to "expose his duplicity on matters of faith".
Speaking to IANS, Pawan Khera said, "Old videos of his statements on beef are circulating, we have seen them. He can implement whatever he wants in his government but he should not create unnecessary controversies in the country."
The Congress leader further urged there should be an immediate CBI investigation and action should be taken swiftly in the 'Tirupati Prasadam' issue.
"All those responsible must be identified and brought to light," he demanded.
The Tirupati laddu controversy arose after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu claimed on September 18 that under Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy's government, animal fat and substandard ingredients were used in the preparation of Tirupati laddus.
Khera, when questioned on Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s remarks that Congress leader Kumari Selja wanted to quit the Congress, hit back saying: “Manohar Lal Khattar wanted to join Congress after being removed from the Chief Minister’s post."
"Since the day Khattar was removed from the position of Chief Minister, he has been persistently trying to approach the Congress. Let me clarify, our doors are completely shut for him. His frustration is evident, and we understand its cause. But I want to tell him that Congress has no place for him," he said.
Khattar, a former Haryana CM, addressing a public gathering in Karnal, claimed that Selja, a prominent Dalit leader, has faced disrespect within the Congress. "We are ready to take her into the BJP fold," he had added.
Sharing his views on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's three-day US visit, the Congress leader stated, "We hope that this time he hasn’t just gone for applause and speeches and it’s not another exercise in event management, photoshoots or hugging world leaders for photo ops. We expect him to bring something meaningful back for the country."