A ruckus broke out during Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's address at an event in Patna, Bihar, on Sunday, after a person in the audience reportedly said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not leave office. Responding to the remark, Kharge said, "Modi ka baap bhi jayega" (Modi’s father will go also).
The alleged heckler was beaten up by Congress supporters. Speaking outside the hall, the person, identified as Santosh Kumar, said his remarks had been misunderstood and clarified that he actually wanted Modi to go, NDTV reported.
"I was saying that unless there is a revolt, Modi will not go. But only a part of it was heard and was misunderstood," NDTV quoted Santosh as saying after having been pushed out of the venue.
Addressing the 139th birth anniversary celebration of Dr Shri Krishna Singh in Patna, Kharge further hit out at the Prime Minister, saying PM Modi has a habit of telling lies.
"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 asked.
He also launched a scathing attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), calling for ending its ideology in the country.
Kharge said, “As long as the ideology of the RSS persists in this country, there will be no peace."
The Congress leader also accused the Sangh of engaging in communal activities since its inception.
Reacting to the incident, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a sharp attack on Kharge, and said the Congress was displaying frustration and disregarding democratic decorum.
Ashish Usha Agarwal, national media convenor of the BJP, said Kharge’s comments had once again exposed the political character of the Congress.
Agarwal questioned whether the Congress considered such language appropriate in a democracy. “Answering the voice of the people with abusive words and opposition with assault? Is this Congress’s politics and democratic decorum? “, Agarwal remarked.
He also challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to explain the direction in which the party was heading under his leadership. In a post on X, Agarwal wrote, “Rahul Gandhi Ji, under your leadership, where exactly is the Congress heading? Insulting the Prime Minister’s family and the assault on those who disagree-is this the culture of your party?”
Agarwal further asserted that neither abusive language nor threats could suppress public opinion, emphasising that voters ultimately determined the course of democracy through their ballots. “The voice of the people is neither supersede by abusive words nor by threats. In a democracy, the people respond with their votes”, Agarwal asserted.
The BJP's criticism was further escalated by Pradeep Bhandari, the party’s national media co-in-charge, who also condemned Kharge’s remarks and attributed them to frustration within the Congress.
In a post on X, Bhandari alleged that the party was apprehensive about the prospects of its rally scheduled for 1 November, claiming it was likely to attract a poor response. “Frustration of Congress is out in the open! Knowing its 1st November rally is about to be a flop show, knowing Rahul Gandhi’s anarchy is being called out, knowing it is not getting support of People of India; Congress frustration is out in the open”, Bhandari asserted.
He further claimed that Kharge’s statement reflected public support for the Prime Minister, adding, “Congress statement proves also that the people of India are with PM Modi”.
(With inputs from ANI)
