Suresh Gopi clarifies ‘mother of India’ reference about Indira Gandhi


PTI, Jun 16, 2024, 2:55 PM IST

A day after his reference to former prime minister Indira Gandhi as “mother of India” received widespread attention, Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Sunday clarified that he called the late leader the mother of the Congress party in the country and his remarks were misinterpreted by the media.

The actor-turned-politician said he was a person talking from the heart and he firmly believed that there was nothing wrong in what he said about Indira Gandhi.

While addressing the media here, the BJP leader asked the reporters whether they don’t understand the “contextual meaning of language”.

“What did I say? As far as the Congress is concerned…whether anyone likes it or not… K Karunakaran is the father of the Congress party in Kerala. In India, its mother is Indira Gandhi. I said this from my heart,” Suresh Gopi said.

The minister of state for petroleum and tourism, however, continued to lavish praises on Indira Gandhi on Sunday as well.

“Indira Gandhi is the real architect of India post independence and until her demise. I have to make these attributions anyway. I cannot forget a person who had worked sincerely for the country only because she belonged to the political rival party,” he added.

While visiting the memorial of late Congress Chief Minister K Karunakaran in Thrissur on Saturday, Gopi had described Indira Gandhi as the “mother of India” and Karunakaran as a “courageous administrator”.

The BJP leader had also said that he considered Karunakaran and Marxist veteran E K Nayanar his “political gurus”.

Gopi said as he viewed Indira Gandhi as “bharathathinte mathavu” (mother of India), Karunakaran was the “father of the Congress party in the state” for him.

He explained that describing Karunakaran as the “father” of the Congress in Kerala was not a disrespect to the founders or co-founders of the grand old party in the state.

Gopi won the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat recently, opening the BJP’s electoral account in Kerala.

Thrissur had witnessed a three-way contest for the Lok Sabha polls, with major candidates from the Congress, BJP, and CPI locked in a neck-and-neck battle.

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

Non-updation of biometrics of children above 7 yrs age may lead to Aadhaar deactivation

Nipah: 675 persons in contact list; 82 samples from Malappuram negative, says minister

Man held for defaming entrepreneur on WhatsApp in Surathkal

Heavy rain lashes coastal Karnataka; orange alert issued for July 16

Yemeni man lives 14 years with bullet in skull, undergoes rare surgery in Bengaluru

CM Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar welcome Shubhanshu Shukla’s return to Earth

Injured England off-spinner Bashir ruled out of remainder of Test series against India

Related Articles More

Non-updation of biometrics of children above 7 yrs age may lead to Aadhaar deactivation

Nipah: 675 persons in contact list; 82 samples from Malappuram negative, says minister

Man held for defaming entrepreneur on WhatsApp in Surathkal

BJP govt has broken all records of corruption: Akhilesh

CM Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar welcome Shubhanshu Shukla’s return to Earth

MUST WATCH

Agriculture Technology | Farming

Beluru Chennakeshava History

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple

Lady Goschen Hospital | Milk bank

Cashier steals gold deposited by customers

Latest Additions

Non-updation of biometrics of children above 7 yrs age may lead to Aadhaar deactivation

Nipah: 675 persons in contact list; 82 samples from Malappuram negative, says minister

Man held for defaming entrepreneur on WhatsApp in Surathkal

Heavy rain lashes coastal Karnataka; orange alert issued for July 16

Yemeni man lives 14 years with bullet in skull, undergoes rare surgery in Bengaluru

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.