Agencies | New Delhi:
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday hit back at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over his controversial remark about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late father, with BJP president Nitin Nabin accusing the Congress of displaying “ideological bankruptcy”.
Reacting to Kharge’s remarks in Patna, Nabin said, “Today in Patna, the kind of indecent and unparliamentary language used by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge towards the country’s respected Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji reflects the ideological bankruptcy of the Congress.”
Nabin accused Kharge of crossing political limits by bringing deceased family members into a public political speech. He further alleged that the Congress and the Opposition were resorting to personal attacks because they had no substantial issues to raise on development, policies and welfare schemes.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also hit back at Kharge, accusing the Congress president of crossing all limits of political decorum.
Shah alleged that under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, the Congress was increasingly relying on personal attacks and abusive language instead of debating policies and issues. He also pointed to previous instances where, according to him, Congress leaders had targeted Modi and his family.
The BJP leaders’ reactions came after Kharge made the controversial remark while addressing an event in Patna on Sunday to mark the 139th birth anniversary of Bihar’s first Chief Minister Shri Krishna Singh.
During his speech, a person in the audience was heard saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not go anywhere. Kharge responded, “Modi ka baap bhi jayega” — translated as, “Even Modi’s father will go.” He reportedly repeated the remark twice.
The exchange soon triggered a commotion at the venue. The man who allegedly interrupted Kharge’s speech was identified as Santosh Kumar. He was reportedly surrounded by people at the event, beaten and then removed from the hall.
The controversy took another turn after Kumar spoke outside the venue and claimed that he was not heckling Kharge.
Kumar said he had actually said that Modi would not leave unless there was a revolt, but that only part of his sentence was heard. He claimed the statement was therefore misunderstood.
The incident occurred as Kharge was speaking about alleged electoral irregularities and the Opposition’s criticism of the BJP. He was also attacking the government over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The controversy has led to a fresh political confrontation between the BJP and Congress, with BJP leaders accusing Kharge of lowering the standards of political discourse.
BJP spokesperson Tuhin A Sinha described Kharge’s comment as “disgusting, petulant, uncouth”, while Union Minister Giriraj Singh also launched a sharp attack on the Congress leadership.
Singh said he had earlier believed Rahul Gandhi was the only one making such remarks but now appeared to believe there were several others. He also claimed that Modi, who turned 76 in September, would remain in power for at least another 30 years.
Kharge’s remarks came amid a broader political attack on the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). During his Patna address, the Congress chief also demanded that the SIR exercise be stopped and called for elections to be conducted using ballot papers.
The BJP is planning protests across the country against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over his controversial “Modi ka baap bhi jayega” remark targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as the political confrontation between the BJP and Congress intensifies.
