Bhubaneswar: The face-off over remarks on Mahatma Gandhi and Nathuram Godse refuses to die down in Odisha Assembly as Congress leader Narasingha Mishra and deputy leader of BJP legislature party, Bishnu Sethi again locked horns in the House for the second consecutive day on Saturday.
The issue was raised by Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra who asked the BJP members whether they can condemn the people who "worship" Nathuram Godse.
"The Congress has no hesitation to chant Bharat Mata ki Jai and Vande Mataram. I am chanting this in this House. But can my BJP friends condemn people who worship Nathuram Godse?" Mishra asked the saffron party members.
Both Mishra and Sethi had entered into a verbal spat on July 29 in the Assembly after the former had stated that Mahatma’s killer Nathuram Godse is being worshiped and his ideology is being boosted by a section of people in the BJP, who are now ruling at the Centre.
Reacting to this, Sethi had stated that no one should teach patriotism and nationalism to BJP and mentioned about the activities of Navjot Singh Sidhu and Mani Shankar Aiyyar.
Responding to senior Congress leader, Sethi today asserted that, “There are a lot of important issues like the problem of unemployment, drought threat and Fani restoration which needs to be discussed in Assembly. Instead of debating such issues.”
Questioning Mishra's intention, he said, "I do not understand why the Congress leader (Mishra) is frequently raising the issue here (Assembly) ... Does he want us to fight among ourselves? Earlier, he had said there is a bid to create one nation, one election, one leader and one religion. What is his intention?".