Himachal Pradesh Congress has sought the resignation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Satpal Singh Satti on moral grounds.

Satti was on Friday banned from campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections for 48 hours by the Election Commission of India after a complaint by Congress for the use of unparliamentary language against their national president Rahul Gandhi.

In a statement issued, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Kuldeep Singh Rathore said that it was the first time in the history of the state that any political party president has been banned from campaigning.

“This reflects the character of BJP. The silence of the senior BJP leaders on the issue and usage of foul language is a clear indication of the negative mentality of the party towards the women,” he charged.

Seeking resignation of Satti, Rathore said in such cases when the party president is found guilty, he should himself step down from the party post on moral grounds.

Even the silence of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur clearly reflects his helplessness, he added.

Condemning BJP, Rathore said that the manner in which the party is trying to intimidate and threaten the public in the elections the people are not going to bow down.

Notably, the state BJP chief Satti was banned for 48 hours starting 10 am on Saturday for using an abusive slur while referring to Rahul Gandhi at a rally in Nalagrah’s Ramashehar.

Responding to the Congress chief's “chowkidar chor hai” jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Satti had told the rally that Gandhi and his family were "thieves".  He has already been booked by Baddi police under Section 294 (obscene acts and songs) of the Indian Penal Code, after the Congress complained about these comments made at the rally.