Congress Leader CP Joshi Gets Poll Panel Notice for ‘Only Brahmins, Not PM Modi’ Remark

New Delhi:Congress leader CP Joshi, whose comment that only Brahmins know enough to talk about Hinduism had stirred a political row, has been issued a notice by the Election Commission of India.

Joshi, a candidate in the upcoming Rajasthan assembly election, was served the notice after the BJP filed a complaint, alleging that his casteist remark was in violation of the model code of conduct. The poll panel has given him time till Sunday to respond to the notice.

The Congress leader had also been rebuked by party chief Rahul Gandhi and had apologised for making the statement on his directions.

"CP Joshi's comments are against the Congress party's principles. No party leader should make statements that hurt any section of the society," Gandhi had tweeted in swift damage control.

"I am sure Joshiji has realized his mistake in view of the Congress's beliefs and workers' sentiment. He should furnish an apology," he added.

Joshi apologised almost immediately after and tweeted, "Out of respect for the Congress's beliefs and workers' sentiment, I apologise if my comments hurt any section of the society."

His comment had come just days before Rajasthan goes to polls, where the Congress is looking to unseat BJP's Vasundhara Raje and it has given the BJP ammunition to paint the Congress as a casteist party.

Joshi, while addressing a poll gathering, had questioned how PM Narendra Modi and Uma Bharti can go on and on about Hinduism when they belong to different castes.

"If anyone is qualified to speak on religion it is the Pandits, the intellectuals and the brahmins. There is a weird trend in the country where people from different castes are speaking on Hinduism," he was heard saying in the clip tweeted by BJP’s Harsh Sanhavi.

“Uma Bharti, who belongs to the Lodi samaj, is talking about Hindu religion. Sadhvi ji also belongs to a different religion and is talking about Hindu religion. Narendra Modi too belongs to some other religion and talks about Hinduism. In the last 50 years, brahmins have lost their mind," he said.

The Congress leader used the term 'religion' while mentioning PM Modi. However, his intended reference is perhaps to "caste" as he starts his sentence asking the caste of the leaders. Subsequently he also refers to Uma Bharti's caste before using the word "religion"