"BJP has gone mad..." Congress leader Harish Rawat slams Ganesh Joshi for his remarks on deaths of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv

Former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and Congress leader Harish Rawat on Wednesday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party's minister Ganesh Joshi for his remarks on the deaths of former Prime Ministers, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, demanding an apology from the latter.

"BJP has gone mad, as no one has the right to insult martyrdom, to criticize the sacrifice. BJP should apologize for this statement made by their minister," Rawat said while talking tohere on Wednesday.

Uttarakhand Minister Ganesh Joshi on Tuesday courted a political controversy calling the killings of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi "accidents, not martyrdom".

The killings of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were not "martyrdom but accidents", Joshi remained firm over his statement while talking to ANI.

The Minister said that there is a "difference between accident and martyrdom" and what happened with the two former prime ministers is better called an "accident".

"If we look at history, there is a difference between losing a life in the line of duty and an accident. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were big leaders and former PMs. Indira Gandhi was shot dead by a security guard while Rajiv Gandhi was killed by LTTE, so it's an accident," Joshi said.

Former prime minister Indira Gandhi was killed by her two Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984, as revenge for a military operation to flush out extremists from the Golden Temple in June that year.Her son Rajiv Gandhi, who was the prime minister, was assassinated by Tamil Tiger rebels on May 21, 1991, in Sriperambudur while on an election campaign.

"Yes, they were tall leaders, the Prime Ministers, but they met with accidents. Indira Gandhi was killed by her bodyguards. That was not martyrdom but an accident. I stand by my statement that there is a difference between martyrdom and accident," Joshi added.

The Uttarakhand minister's remarks came after senior Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, in his speech during the closing ceremony of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Srinagar said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and RSS would not be able to understand what the pain is.

"Those who do violence like PM Modi, Amit Shah, Ajit Doval, and RSS, cannot understand pain, but we can. We should stand against the ideology which tries to demolish the base of India," he said.

( With inputs from ANI )