'Be prepared to be called out as frauds': Rajeev Chandrasekhar demands Rahul Gandhi's apology

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday reiterated his demand that Chief Minister VD Satheesan get Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to apologise to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Election Commission, warning that otherwise the Congress leaders would continue to be called "frauds".

Chandrasekhar renewed his "offer" to Satheesan in posts on Facebook and X, a day after first making the demand.

"Here's my offer to CM @vdsatheesan. If you don't take up my offer but persist in using lies, unkept promises, corruption, and appeasement as your political strategy, be prepared to be called out as frauds. Every time," he said on X.

The BJP leader had initially asked Satheesan to ensure that Rahul apologised to Modi for calling him a "deshdrohi" and to the Election Commission (EC) for allegedly lying. In return, Chandrasekhar had promised to stop referring to the Congress leader as a fraud.

The demand followed Satheesan's criticism of Chandrasekhar's remarks against Rahul. The chief minister had said personal and abusive comments against the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha did not amount to political criticism.

Satheesan had also criticised Chandrasekhar's response to reported differences of opinion within the Election Commission of India over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Responding to the chief minister, Chandrasekhar, the MLA from Nemom, had said he rarely made personal attacks on political opponents but was "compelled" to do so in Rahul's case.

He had also criticised Rahul over his remarks against the prime minister and the EC, arguing that those comments were what should be condemned.

"If you get Rahul to apologise for calling our PM Narendra Modi a 'deshdrohi' and have him apologise to the Election Commission for lying, then I promise to stop referring to Rahul Gandhi as a fraud," Chandrasekhar had said.