Strongly condemning the heckling of opposition chief ministers at events featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress today alleged that an "orchestrated" and "well-planned conspiracy by BJP and RSS" is on which is "hurting" the spirit of federalism.
"Prime Minister Modi is guilty not by default but by design for encouraging this. In a planned way, BJP and RSS workers insult chief ministers in the states which the prime minister visits.
"No prime minister in the past has behaved in this insulting a manner with any chief minister anywhere," said Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma.
"It must be conveyed with clarity that what is happening is unacceptable. They (BJP) should realise that others may have lost out in the elections but they are not without leaders or party cadres.
"It's not that Congress party, leaders and workers are not capable of doing that. But Congress does not believe in resorting to similar tactics as it respects the institution which is the post of the prime minister. That should not be construed as any kind of weakness," he warned.
Charging that the country's "federal spirit is being assaulted under the leadership of the prime minister", Sharma said that those those responsible for it are Modi, RSS and BJP, who "do not accept the existence of any other ideology and party".
Party sources indicated that as it is clear that such acts are being carried out deliberately in poll-bound states to paint Congress and other opposition chief ministers in poor light, it will raise the issue of "insult" of such constitutional figures in a big way through public rallies beginning with the one scheduled for August 24 in Panipat.
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is likely to launch a blistering attack on BJP and Prime Minister Modi as Congress may project the booing of Hooda on Tuesday as an "insult to Haryana".
Party sources said that with Hooda asserting that he will not attend public functions with Modi in the future and Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan skipping an event in Nagpur with the Prime Minister, "the message has gone" out about the issue.
