Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday, 26 October launched a pointed attack on Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over Kharge's controversial remark about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's father, made at a public event in Patna the previous day. Chandrasekhar accused the Congress of losing its political bearings and described the party's conduct as a slide from the 'ridiculous to the extremely ridiculous.'

Chandrasekhar's Direct Remarks

In a statement, Chandrasekhar said, 'The Congress party has gone from being ridiculous to extremely ridiculous. As I told you, this is a party that is now losing track of its senses. In Kerala, they will make the Governor's vegetarianism an issue, so they are running out of issues. Today, you can see that they are losing their mental balance when the national president of the Congress party, who is not a small man but a senior leader, Mallikarjun Kharge, makes such remarks...'

The Kerala BJP chief also addressed Kharge directly through a post on social media platform X, writing: 'To @kharge sir: we understand your frustration — the frustration that the Congress is going nowhere. Every single lie of yours is being exposed by the people. The people are defeating your anarchy, chaos and lawlessness. But let me make it clear: PM @narendramodi ji kahin nahi jayega. Modi ji is not going anywhere.'

The Trigger: Kharge's Remark in Patna

The controversy erupted after Kharge made a remark referencing PM Modi's father at a public gathering in Patna on Sunday, 25 October. The BJP swiftly condemned the comment as unacceptable, with leaders at the national and state levels joining the chorus of criticism. The incident has deepened an already acrimonious political confrontation between the two parties ahead of state elections.

Kerala's Governor Row Drawn In

Chandrasekhar also wove in a separate, ongoing political dispute in Kerala — the reported instruction regarding vegetarian food at the Governor's official residence — to reinforce his argument that the Congress was manufacturing controversies in the absence of substantive issues. That episode has itself triggered a distinct political exchange within the state, with the Congress and the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) raising objections.

Chandrasekhar's Political Standing in Kerala

As Kerala BJP president and one of the party's three legislators in the 140-member Kerala Assembly, Chandrasekhar occupies a prominent but legislatively constrained position. The BJP remains a minor force in the state assembly, though it controls the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. His national profile — he is a former Union Minister — gives the party's Kerala unit a louder voice in national political debates than its assembly strength would suggest.

Chandrasekhar concluded his X post with a direct advisory to Kharge: 'My advice: you are a senior leader. Drop this. Stop all this. The country faces numerous challenges. Have the courage to place your actual vision before the public instead of hurling abuses... This toxic political culture must end. It does not benefit the country.' How the Congress responds, and whether Kharge issues any clarification, is expected to define the next phase of this exchange.