Jaipur, Oct 26 (IANS) A controversial remark by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late father has triggered a political confrontation, with the BJP launching a sharp attack on the Congress. Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma has also strongly criticised Kharge, accusing the Congress leadership of lowering political standards and resorting to personal attacks.
In a post on social media shared late Sunday evening, CM Sharma said Congress, frustrated by repeated electoral defeats, has moved away from policy-based political discourse. He condemned remarks directed at the Prime Minister’s late father, describing them as evidence of a decline in political decorum.
CM Sharma said: “The use of indecent language by Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, who appears rattled by repeated electoral defeats directed at the late father of the respected Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, is a testament to the declining political standards and lack of decency within the Congress. Whether it is targeting a father or a mother has Congress politics now been reduced solely to personal insults?”
CM Sharma further accused Congress of using personal attacks instead of reflecting on its political setbacks.
“Resorting to abusive language instead of introspecting on their own failures reveals the desperation of the Congress. The Congress should remember: this is a ‘New India,’ where the public responds to insults and arrogance through their electoral mandate. Petty politics does not lead to power; it only earns the public’s resentment,” he added.
The controversy reportedly erupted on October 25, during an event in Patna, Bihar, marking the 139th birth anniversary of the state’s first Chief Minister, Sri Krishna Singh.
While addressing the gathering, Kharge criticised the central government over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and alleged administrative irregularities. During the speech, an audience member reportedly shouted, “PM Modi isn’t going anywhere unless there is a rebellion!”
Kharge responded with the remark, “Even Modi’s father will have to go!” The comment triggered a political backlash, with BJP leaders accusing the Congress president of making an objectionable personal attack on the Prime Minister and his late father. The BJP also announced plans for protests against the statement.
BJP Rajasthan president Madan Rathore also criticised Kharge over his remark that “even Modi’s father will have to go” during an event in Patna, Bihar. Rathore further raised concerns over an incident in which an individual was allegedly assaulted at the same event, questioning the Congress leadership’s approach to political discourse and democratic conduct.
He said the language used by senior Congress leaders reflected a decline in political decorum. He noted that expressions once associated with crude political exchanges were now being used by the party’s national leadership.
Questioning the Congress president’s choice of words, Rathore asked whether such language directed at the country’s Prime Minister was consistent with democratic norms. He also questioned whether restraint, civility and respect for democratic values continued to have a place in Congress politics.
Other BJP leaders and elected representatives in the state also intensified their criticism of the Congress president. They argued that personal remarks about the families of senior constitutional officeholders undermine democratic traditions and called for a public apology from the Congress leadership.
The party leaders said that there is growing anger among BJP workers in Jaipur and other district headquarters, and hence they are preparing to take the issue to the public.
The controversy, which originated in Patna, has now become a flashpoint in the wider BJP-Congress confrontation. In Rajasthan, the BJP could seek to use the issue in its campaign ahead of upcoming panchayat and local body elections, said party workers.
–IANS
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