The Congress Party has clarified that Sonia Gandhi had never used the word “sovereignty” in her speech during election campaigning for Assembly elections in Karnataka. The Election Commission had sought clarification on the alleged remarks of the former Congress president, which had triggered a political row.

“The word ‘sovereignty’ was never used by Smt Sonia Gandhi Ji in her speech dated May 6, 2023, at Hubballi, Karnataka,” the party’s official Twitter handle wrote on Wednesday.

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The Congress also shared the May 6 speech by Sonia Gandhi which she delivered in Karnataka’s Hubballi in the political campaigning for her party.

With reference to Gandhi’s address at a campaign rally in Hubballi, the Congress Twitter handle had posted “The Congress will not allow anyone to pose a threat to Karnataka’s reputation, sovereignty or integrity.” It further stated that the Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson “sends a strong message to 6.5 crore Kannadigas”.

The Congress party has now deleted its tweet stating , “Since this has been erroneously reported – it is being deleted.”

A political storm erupted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders targeting the grand old party over the remark.

On Monday, the BJP filed a complaint with the Election Commission about the alleged statement.

The poll panel, responding to the complaint, issued a letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, asking him “to provide clarification and take rectification measures in respect of the social media post which has been put up on the Official INC Twitter handle and attributed to Chairperson CPP”.

A day after Sonia’s comments went viral, Prime Minister Modi accused the Gandhi family of advocating “secession” of Karnataka from India and said, “The disease of the ‘Tukde Tukde’ gang will reach this high in Congress, I had never thought.”

He further accused the Congress party of “insulting” the Kannada freedom fighters who participated in India’s freedom struggle.”

“Congress has a history of dividing brothers, making states fight among themselves, and leaving no stone unturned in inciting communal violence. Whenever Congress party comes to power, the confidence of terrorists and criminals gets emboldened. They are assured of being protected by the Congress party. We have seen how Congress has repeatedly come in support of terrorists,” he had said.