‘Modi Ka Baap Bhi Jayega’: Kharge’s Remark at Patna Rally Triggers BJP Backlash
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge sparked a political controversy in Patna on Sunday after responding sharply to an audience member who reportedly insisted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not leave office. During the exchange, Kharge said, “Modi ka baap bhi jayega.”
The incident occurred at an event marking the 139th birth anniversary of Dr Shri Krishna Singh in Bihar’s capital. Kharge subsequently criticised Modi over his promise to bring back black money and launched a fresh attack on the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The remark prompted a strong reaction from the BJP, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah accusing the Congress chief of crossing the limits of political propriety by making a personal comment about the Prime Minister’s late father.
KHARGE TARGETS MODI OVER BLACK MONEY PROMISE
Addressing the gathering, Kharge accused Modi of making unfulfilled promises and questioned the status of the black money recovery pledge made during the Prime Minister’s earlier election campaign.
“PM Modi has a habit of telling lies. He had said that he would bring back black money in his first 100 days. I want to ask, where is that money?” Kharge said.
He also criticised the RSS, alleging that its ideology contributed to communal divisions and hindered peace and harmony in the country.
“If we speak about the RSS today, people might interpret it differently… well, the reason you are being targeted is that you have been engaged in this very same activity ever since your inception — that is why you are being targeted,” Kharge said.
“Therefore, as long as the ideology of the RSS persists in this country, there will be no peace,” he added.
The Congress president further alleged that views associated with untouchability continued to exist within sections of the RSS and BJP, arguing that such attitudes were contrary to constitutional values.
NITISH KUMAR ALSO COMES UNDER FIRE
Kharge criticised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for joining the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), saying the move represented a departure from the socialist principles associated with Kumar’s political beginnings.
“It saddens me that Nitish Kumar, who entered the political scene carrying the ideology of the Socialist Party, has ended up in the lap of the BJP and the RSS,” Kharge said.
“This is what happens when a person becomes weak and abandons their ideology,” he added.
HALDWANI INCIDENT RAISES ISSUE OF UNTOUCHABILITY
During his speech, Kharge cited a reported purification ritual in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, following a Congress rally, describing it as evidence of continuing caste discrimination.
According to reports, members of a right-wing group performed a shuddhikaran ritual on August 8, 2026, at a stage near a temple after a Congress gathering at Ramlila Ground.
“On August 8, 2026, in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, a purification ritual was performed for the stage located near a temple. Eighty years after Independence, how will there be unity if untouchability prevails?” he asked.
Kharge argued that practices rooted in untouchability were incompatible with constitutional principles and social equality.
AMIT SHAH, OTHER BJP LEADERS CONDEMN REMARK
Amit Shah responded sharply to Kharge’s statement in a post on X, describing it as an indecent remark about Modi’s late father.
“Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge today crossed all limits of propriety in Patna by making an indecent remark about Modi ji’s father,” Shah wrote.
The Home Minister also referred to previous controversies over remarks concerning Modi and his family, including comments about the Prime Minister’s late mother and the description of Modi as a “merchant of death”.
Shah accused the Congress of becoming frustrated following repeated electoral defeats and alleged that the party had increasingly resorted to personal attacks instead of raising substantive political issues.
BJP leader Nitin Nabin also condemned Kharge’s language, calling it “indecent and unparliamentary”. He accused the Congress leadership of dragging deceased family members into political disputes and questioned the party’s approach to political debate.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan joined the criticism, saying that personal insults would not help the Congress gain public support. He argued that the Congress president had a responsibility to uphold democratic values and public decency.
CONGRESS LEADER DEFENDS KHARGE’S CRITICISM
Congress leader Husain Dalwai defended the substance of Kharge’s attack on the government while speaking to the media in Mumbai. He accused the administration of making mistakes over the past 12 to 13 years and said the Congress would hold it accountable if it returned to power in 2029.
Dalwai said a future Congress government would examine the current administration’s decisions, alleged irregularities and foreign policy record.
“What he is saying is right, and I say the same,” Dalwai said in support of Kharge’s criticism.
SAMBIT PATRA AND SAMRAT CHOUDHARY SEEK APOLOGY
BJP MP Sambit Patra also criticised Kharge, alleging that the Congress was frustrated by its inability to defeat the BJP politically. He questioned Rahul Gandhi’s leadership and claimed that Gandhi exercised the party’s real authority despite Kharge holding the presidency.
In Bihar, Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary described Kharge’s remark as highly condemnable and demanded an apology from both Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.
The exchange has intensified the confrontation between the BJP and Congress. While BJP leaders have focused on Kharge’s reference to the Prime Minister’s late father, Congress leaders have defended his broader criticism of the government and the RSS.
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