Guwahati, October 26: The Assam unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a protest in Guwahati on Monday as part of a nationwide campaign demanding an apology from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over his alleged derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late father.
The demonstration was held at Sarusajai, where BJP leaders and workers raised slogans against Kharge as well as Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, condemning statements the Congress president made at a party event in Patna on Sunday.
BJP Mahila Morcha member Ratna Singh said Kharge’s comments reflected the Congress’s “true character” and were unacceptable. “Kharge is the Congress president, and his use of disrespectful language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late father in Patna reflects the party’s true character. Earlier, Opposition leaders had also made objectionable remarks about the Prime Minister’s late mother,” she said. Singh added that the BJP would not tolerate such remarks against a democratically elected representative of the country. “Kharge is of our grandfather’s age, yet he used such objectionable language. We will not tolerate this. BJP workers across the country have taken to the streets today, and we in Assam are also protesting and condemning his remarks,” she said.
Purabi Roy, state president of the BJP Mahila Morcha, demanded Kharge’s resignation along with a public apology. “We demand the resignation of Kharge and a public apology for the remarks he had made,” Roy said.
BJP member Rupak Sharma said political disagreements should not extend to family members. “Political exchanges are fine, but dragging someone’s father is condemnable,” he said, adding that Kharge had also made disrespectful remarks about Assam in the past.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also criticised Kharge, pointing to his earlier remarks concerning Assamese cultural icon Dr Bhupen Hazarika and the Centre’s decision to confer the Bharat Ratna on him. Sarma further targeted Kharge’s son, Priyank Kharge, alleging that his earlier remarks reflected disrespect towards Indian culture.
Similar protests were reported from Bihar, Jammu, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad, with demonstrators carrying party flags and burning effigies of the Congress president.
The controversy stems from Kharge’s address at a Congress event in Patna on Sunday, held to mark the birth anniversary of Sri Krishna Singh, Bihar’s first Chief Minister. During the programme, an audience member reportedly interrupted Kharge, asserting that Modi would not leave power. In response, Kharge said, “Modi ka baap bhi jayega” (Even Modi’s father will have to go). The Congress president reportedly repeated the remark, triggering a political controversy and drawing sharp criticism from the BJP.
With inputs from IANS
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/guwahati/assam-bjp-hits-guwahati-streets-over-kharges-modi-ka-baap-remark-seeks-apology-1621266
Category: Assam,Guwahati,Featured
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Publish Date: 2026-10-26 18:34:00
