Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge addresses the gathering during an event marking the 139th birth anniversary of Shri Krishna Singh, also known as ‘Bihar Kesari’ and the first Chief Minister of the State, in Patna., on October 25, 2026. Credit: X/@INCIndia
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks at a Patna event on Sunday (October 25, 2026), in which he dragged Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late father, triggered a sharp reaction from senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, who accused the principal Opposition, under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, of increasingly resorting to personal attacks against Mr. Modi and his family.
Criticising the “Modi ka baap bhi jayega [even Modi’s father will go]” comment, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Mr. Kharge has “torn apart all norms of decorum”.
“This is not the first time that the Congress party has used abusive language against Modi ji or his family,” he said, accusing the party of having hurled insults at the Prime Minister’s mother, calling him a “merchant of death”, and mocking his poverty by addressing him as a “chaiwala” in the past.
“Under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, the Congress party keeps crossing the limits of indecency every day,” he said, alleging that repeated electoral defeats over the past 12 years had bred “desperation and frustration” within the party.
“Only the politics of slander remains. Having lost its public base among the people, Congress is now steadily losing its base even among its own workers. Whenever they have made hateful comments against Modi ji or his family, the public has given Congress a resounding response every time,” said Mr. Shah on X.
Terming Mr. Kharge’s language “indecent and unparliamentary”, BJP chief Nitin Nabin said: “There is a certain dignity to political opposition as well, but dragging the departed family members into speeches from public platforms has now become the real ‘culture’ of Rahul Gandhi and the whole Opposition. This is not Kharge ji’s personal statement, but a reflection of the entire Congress party’s lack of decorum in its thinking.”
“Frustrated by repeated electoral defeats, the Congress party is venting its political spite against Prime Minister Modi ji and his family through baseless and irresponsible comments. The Opposition’s panic — stemming from Modi ji’s rising popularity at home and abroad, and the public’s unwavering trust in him — is now plainly evident in its language and conduct,” said Union Minister J.P. Nadda.
He said that in a democracy, opponents must not “cross the bounds of propriety”, and the people will respond to such politics. “The Congress must realise that the trust of the people cannot be won through a politics of hatred and humiliation. The people of the country will surely deliver their response to such petty politics through democratic means,” he said.
Published – October 25, 2026 08:09 pm IST
