Chhattisgarh minister Kawasi Lakhma makes caustic remarks about PM Modi, BJP demands his ouster from ministry

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh industry and excise minister Kawasi Lakhma, a senior tribal leader, on Thursday, sparked a controversy with a crude remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that he visited the state twice and gave nothing worth for the state.
The minister was replying to questions from the media about the visit of over a dozen Union ministers to the state for reviewing the progress of work in 10 aspirational districts, selected by the NITI Aayog.Besides, the Union minister for transport and highways Nitin Gadkari was here in the state capital on Thursday to lay the foundation stone for road projects worth Rs 9,240 crore. The minister’s video has now gone viral on social media and BJP leaders criticising his statement.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ajay Chandrakar fumed, “Such a language for the Prime Minister of the country, is not acceptable in the democracy. Kawasi is supposed to be uneducated and speaks anything which is termed as a ‘slip of tongue’. Why doesn’t his tongue slip while talking about veteran leaders of Congress party and Gandhis?”
The BJP leader demanded the minister's ouster from the Baghel ministry.
“The Prime Minister visited Bastar twice, what did he do? Bathroom? Spoiling our soil. A PM is the ‘king’ in a democratic state and the people of Bastar looked upon him as a ‘king’ and he would gift them something like irrigation facilities or employment. The people of Bijapur and Dantewada prepared stage for him and made arrangements. But did the PM care of even giving a peon’s job to anybody?”
Kawasi went on to say, “His ministers are visiting Chhattisgarh and they would come, eat dal-rice, have a picnic here and return. They have no say in front of PM Modi and Amit Shah. When PM couldn’t give anything to our state, I condemn the visits of union ministers as they are also not going to do anything for us.”
Lakhma was in Chintalnar to inaugurate a road project on Thursday when he made the statement.
Minutes before the statement, Kawasi’s other video was taking a round on Twitter and Whatsapp where he criticized Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev stating, “Fuel prices are sky-rocketing and Ramdev had said the prices would decline. The fuel prices don’t fall just by (lupud-lupud) flattening and rotating the stomach like how Ramdev does.”