Patna, Oct 26 (IANS) Political tensions escalated in Bihar on Monday after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s controversial remark concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late father triggered protests by BJP workers in Patna.
Led by Bihar BJP president Sanjay Saraogi, party workers took out a protest march, raised slogans against the Congress leadership and burnt a poster of Rahul Gandhi.
A large number of BJP workers participated in the demonstration, carrying banners and posters and demanding a public apology from Kharge.
The protesters warned that their agitation would continue until the Congress president apologised for the remark.
Saraogi alleged that Kharge had used derogatory language against the Prime Minister’s father, prompting the BJP to launch protests.
He said demonstrations were not confined to Bihar and that similar protests were being held in the capitals of other states.
Targeting Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and the opposition alliance, Saraogi demanded that the Congress president apologise publicly across the country.
He also called on Kharge to perform uthak-baithak, a traditional form of penance involving repeated squats, as a gesture of remorse.
Union MSME Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi described Kharge’s statement as unfortunate for Indian democracy.
He noted that former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi had also faced political opposition, but the language used in the current controversy reflected desperation within the Congress.
JD(U) national working president Sanjay Jha also criticised Kharge’s remarks, alleging that Congress leaders repeatedly used insulting language against Prime Minister Modi during their visits to Bihar.
Jha claimed the statement was deliberate rather than an inadvertent mistake and said Congress leaders were being held accountable by the public.
Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh also targeted the Congress, accusing the party of crossing the boundaries of political decorum.
He made critical remarks about Rahul Gandhi while referring to the period when Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, RJD MP Manoj Jha said such language could not be supported but questioned what he described as selective outrage over political statements.
He called for a two-day discussion in Parliament on the standard of language used by both the ruling party and the opposition, arguing that similar standards should apply to all political leaders.
Congress Rajya Sabha member Akhilesh Prasad Singh defended Mallikarjun Kharge, asserting that the Congress president had said nothing wrong.
He alleged that the BJP had initiated the trend of using such language in political discourse and was now objecting to it.
The controversy has intensified the exchange of accusations between the BJP and Congress, with leaders from other parties also weighing in on the standards of public political debate.
–IANS
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