A political storm has erupted across India following a controversial remark by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's family during a public address in Patna. The development has triggered sharp rebukes from senior government figures and widespread demonstrations by the ruling party.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed deep shock and hurt over the comments, stating that while political disagreements and policy criticism are vital to a healthy democracy, attacking the Prime Minister's family reveals ideological bankruptcy and degrades political standards. He criticized the Congress party for defending the remarks instead of offering an apology, noting that such behavior violates public decency and hurts the sentiments of millions of citizens.
In the wake of the controversy, the Bharatiya Janata Party launched widespread protests across state capitals. Party workers and senior leaders staged demonstrations in locations ranging from Patna and Raipur to Lucknow and Delhi. Demanding an unconditional apology from the Congress leadership, BJP workers also organized marches toward Kharge's residence in Delhi, escalating political tensions.
Meanwhile, in a separate development providing relief to the opposition, a special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur acquitted Congress leader and Raebareli MP Rahul Gandhi in a 2018 criminal defamation case. The case stemmed from remarks made against Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who served as BJP president at the time, during a campaign rally in Karnataka. The court ruled that the prosecution failed to substantiate the allegations.
Congress leaders welcomed the legal outcome, pointing out that multiple defamation cases filed against Gandhi across various states represent an ongoing pattern aimed at targeting opposition leadership. The dual developments concerning Kharge's remarks and Gandhi's court acquittal have intensified political friction between the ruling party and the opposition.