The BJP on Sunday hit out at Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over a video from his event in Indore, calling him an "asanskari naraz fufa", and accusing the Congress of turning into a "circus" after a stand-up comedian performed mimicry of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the event.
In the video shared by the Congress on X, stand-up comedian Pulkit Mani was seen mimicking Prime Minister Modi while performing a skit with Gandhi during the latest edition of the 'chatron ki goonj' event in Indore on Saturday.
In the short act, Mani came on stage laughing and hugged Gandhi. "My friend. How are you?" To this, Gandhi replied, "I'm fine; how are you, Modi ji?" Mani responded, "Great harassment", and continued laughing while using the phrase "my friend". Gandhi then said, "Very nice to meet you," and asked Mani to "tell me more".
The comedian kept laughing and hugging Gandhi, and then said, "Maa ko kursi do, maa", pointing toward the audience.
Reacting sharply to the political skit, Union minister Piyush Goyal wrote on X, "Asanskari naraz fufa (uncultured disgruntled uncle)."
"The irony writes itself. The need to come on stage every now and then just to drag Prime Minister Modi ji's name into cheap political theatre never fails to amaze me," Goyal said, asking Gandhi to "look in the mirror."
Union minister Kiren Rijiju slammed Gandhi, saying, "I hadn't imagined that a party which was in power for nearly six decades would turn into such a circus that is busy entertaining their own shrunken supporters."
Indians are proud that Prime Minister Modi is the "most popular" elected leader of the world, he said.
"Congress party has become a party of comedians and Jokers! They are out forever.... RIP," Rijiju said.
"Do you feel absolutely no shame in mocking an elderly mother and the Prime Minister of India?" he asked Gandhi, posting on X a video of Prime Minister Modi in which he is seen asking for a chair to an elderly woman who had come to attend his programme in the past.
Reacting sharply, BJP national general secretary Smriti Irani wrote in Hindi on X, "Jab nash manuj per chata hai, pehle vivek mar jaata hai" (When doom looms over a person, it's his conscience that dies first).
BJP national secretary Sandeep Pathak hit out at Gandhi over the mimicry act, calling it nothing but desperation and the growing intellectual bankruptcy of the Congress.
"When you lose touch with India's values, you lose touch with India itself. And that is precisely where the Congress has lost its way," Pathak, a Rajya Sabha MP, said on X.
BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan accused Gandhi of endorsing an “uncouth culture”, alleging that he shared the stage with people who mocked a “frail elderly Mataji” by referring to her as a “setting” and was seen laughing during the episode.
“Rahul Gandhi shared the stage yesterday with cheap, vulgar trolls who insulted our Naari Shakti by mocking a frail elderly Mataji as a ‘setting’,” Kesavan said in a post on X.
He alleged that Gandhi’s reaction showed that such conduct was being endorsed by the Congress leader.
“No decent, right-thinking person would have found these foul-mouthed, third-rate antics amusing but Rahul Gandhi was seen laughing aloud on the stage he was sharing with them. Such uncouth culture endorsed by Rahul Gandhi is the reason why he and the Congress have failed to resonate with the youth,” Kesavan said.
The BJP leader also contrasted Gandhi’s conduct with Modi’s interaction with the elderly woman, saying the prime minister had ensured that a chair was provided for her.
“While Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, in a thoughtful gesture, ensured a chair for an aged elder, Rahul Gandhi was seen yesterday revelling when such elders were being shamelessly disrespected,” he said.
Kesavan also linked his criticism to the recent Delhi University Students’ Union elections, alleging that the Congress had failed to connect with young voters.
The BJP’s national account on X said the episode reflected a contrast between what it described as Modi’s “politics of values” and Gandhi’s “politics of showmanship”.
Union education minister Pralhad Joshi also attacked Gandhi, accusing him and the Congress of “moral bankruptcy” and alleging that a student interaction had been used to mock and insult Modi’s late mother.
“Shameful and disgusting! Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party have stooped to an absolute nadir of moral bankruptcy,” Joshi said in a post on X.
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also criticised Gandhi, saying that “a mother is not a subject of politics” and that political opposition should not involve remarks about a mother.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI)