Over the past few days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been on a spree of giving interviews to the national media. In one such interview with a mainstream newspaper, Modi answered a question about bringing down the dignity of the PM’s position and respect quoting the example of former CM of Andhra Pradesh T. Anjaiah. In the interview to the newspaper while attacking the Congress, Modi said if we speak of respect for the post, then it’s the same for everyone.
“It is true for (former PM Manmohan Singh) whose government’s order, was torn in public (by Rahul Gandhi). If you are speaking of respect for the post, then what about former Andhra CM Anjaiah-ji, a Dalit, who was humiliated in Hyderabad airport (by former PM Rajiv Gandhi). So anyone complaining now has to see the whole thing in perspective,” he said. However, his false statements have not gone down well with the family members of Anjaiah.
The Prime Minister, at various occasions, has been calling Anjaiah a Dalit while he is actually an OC. His real name is Talla Ramakrishna Reddy and his grandson has told mediapersons that his family will soon write to the Prime Minister’s Office over unnecessarily usage of Anjaiah’s name and misquoting his caste for BJP’s political gimmicks. He also opined that a Prime Minister being misinformed about a CM and using the incident at Begumpet airport for his political mileage is unfortunate.
Netizens have been fuming over such blatant misquoting of facts by the PM, ever since he made those statements. Looks like Modi needs a serious fact-checker at the PMO!