• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

A day after referring to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as the "mother of India", Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Sunday issued clarification and said it was a "contextual reference." His clarification came a day after he called Indira Gandhi the "mother of India" and praised late Congress Chief Minister of Kerala K Karunakaran as a "courageous administrator". Gopi, a BJP leader, also acknowledged Karunakaran and Marxist veteran EK Nayanar as his "political gurus".

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Gopi said, "It was a contextual reference. I was talking about the true worth of leader Karunakaran. Like how to the Congress and non-Congress people of Kerala, even though there might be founders and co-founders, the administrational quality and efforts that result totally to the benefit of people, Karunakaran should be the father of Congress in Kerala. In the context of that, I had referred to Indira Gandhi as the mother of Congress in India."

ALSO READ: 'Why Teach About Riots?: NCERT Director Defends Changes In Textbook References On Babri Masjid Demolition, Gujarat Riots

On Saturday, Gopi referred to veteran leaders of the Communist Party of India-Marxists, EK Nayanar and K Karunakaran, as his "political gurus."

"Simply because my father's family was a Congress family, my mother's family worked up to the formation of Janasangh in Kerala...I was in the SFI. But the reason behind my shift was not political. It was emotional. I will live my life emotionally as well, being acceptable to all classes of life, all segments of life, all levels of life," the BJP MP said on Sunday.

He also added that only because Indira Gandhi was a Congress leader, he could not sway away from attributing. "I call her the real architect of India post-independence until her death," he added.

ALSO READ: EVM Row: Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav Join Debate Triggered By Elon Musk; BJP Leader Rejects Claims

Suresh Gopi took oath as the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Ministry of Tourism on June 9. The actor-cum-politician achieved a historic win for the BJP in Kerala by taking the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat.

Suresh Gopi, the BJP leader, had contested elections from Thrissur seat. He was fighting against Adv VS Sunilkumar, who secured a second position by registering 3,37,652 votes.

Suresh Gopi has been with the BJP for eight years and is the only BJP candidate to secure a win in the state with Congress and CPI (M) being the two parties that tend to have a hold in the state.

(With inputs from ANI)