Congress asks Mayawati to apologise for remarks on Gandhi

July 26th, 2009 NEW DELHI - In an apparent reference to Uttar Pradesh party chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi's remarks against Chief Minister Mayawati, the Congress has urged party workers never to lose "mutual respect" for political leaders and ideologies and always observe "diplomacy and decorum". The advice has been given in the latest issue of party mouthpiece Sandesh.

July 18th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Continuing the verbal sparring with the Congress, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Saturday hit out at Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi for his comments against her government, saying the Congress should "first set its own house in order before accusing others". On Rahul Gandhi's support for the Congress' state chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who was arrested and sent to judicial custody for her remark against the chief minister, Mayawati said it would have been better if Rahul Gandhi had commented instead on Joshi's book criticising Congress leaders.

July 17th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi headed to his Lok Sabha constituency Amethi Friday but was silent over remarks against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati that have landed his party's state chief in jail on charges of denigrating Dalits. After arriving here in the morning, Gandhi drove to Amethi without answering queries from journalists over what he thought of Rita Bahuguna Joshi's statements against Mayawati and her subsequent arrest.

July 17th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati said Friday that she prevented Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) workers across India from "reacting violently" to the state Congress chief's remarks which she felt were insulting to her as a woman and a Dalit. "I can assure you that if my party members had come out on the streets across the country to express their anger against (Rita Bahuguna Joshi), there would have been anarchy everywhere," Maywati told reporters here.

July 17th, 2009 AMETHI - Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Friday said the remarks by the party's Uttar Pradesh chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi against Chief Minister Mayawati were unfortunate and wrong". Gandhi's comment came while he was speaking to reporters in his constituency.

July 17th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati said Friday that jailed state Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi might get bail now, but she "will definitely get punished" for making "unpardonable" remarks against her. "Joshi's act was unpardonable and the law will take its course.

July 16th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Thursday targeted Congress president Sonia Gandhi for her "silence" after state Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi's "highly condemnable remarks" against her and also accused the Congress party of engineering an attack on Joshi's residence here. Terming Joshi's earlier remarks as "objectionable, reprehensible and highly condemnable", she said: "The BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) as a whole condemns Joshi in the strongest of words.

July 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday said Congress president Sonia Gandhi should apologise for Uttar Pradesh party chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi's derogatory remarks against Chief Minister Mayawati. Merely the Uttar Pradesh Congress chief's apology will not do.

July 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Congress President Sonia Gandhi expressed regret over the remarks made by UP Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, but at the same time described the actions of the Uttar Pradesh Government as high handed. Earlier in the day, Mayawati condemned Gandhi for remaining silent on the Joshi incident, and said it was shameful that she had not taken any action against Joshi.

June 15th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Maywati has come under severe criticism from opposition leaders for having made derogatory remarks about Mahatma Gandhi. While addressing a meeting of MPs and legislators of her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) here Saturday, Mayawati called the Father of the Nation a "natakbaaz" (fake).

April 4th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Saturday slammed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Maneka Gandhi, saying she should have brought up her son Varun better rather than defending him. Varun Gandhi is in jail, facing a charge of delivering campaign speeches vilifying Muslims.

April 4th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Saturday justified the use of the National Security Act (NSA) to jail Varun Gandhi, saying his actions were unpardonable, and warned that anyone indulging in similar acts would get the same treatment in her state. She also took on Maneka Gandhi, saying she should have brought up her son better.

March 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Shunning its 'other Gandhi' candidate, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Tuesday that Varun Gandhi should apologise for his inflammatory anti-Muslim remarks but added that it would consider action after seeing the tapes of his speeches. 'We are of the strong belief that Varun Gandhi should apologise.

March 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Gandhi scion Varun Gandhi found himself isolated in the Sangh parivar Tuesday with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) going along with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the controversy over his inflammatory campaign speeches. 'We have not seen the statement.

March 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Shunning its 'other Gandhi' candidate, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Tuesday that Varun Gandhi should apologise for his inflammatory anti-Muslim remarks that go against the party's credo of 'harmony and unity'. 'We are of the strong belief that Varun Gandhi should apologise.