CM Bhajan Lal Slams Kharge Over Remarks on PM Modi's Late Father
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
A pointed political attack landed on Sunday evening when Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma publicly condemned Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge for allegedly using 'indecent language' about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's late father — sharpening an already fierce BJP-Congress war of words ahead of upcoming electoral contests.
The Charge Against Kharge
CM Sharma's post, written in Hindi, accused Kharge of stooping to personal insults in a pattern that has now extended to the Prime Minister's parents. 'कभी पिता, कभी माता' ('First the father, then the mother'), Sharma wrote, questioning whether Congress politics has 'now shrunk to personal humiliation alone.' He described the language used as proof of the party's 'falling political dignity and lack of values.'
The remarks are framed as a consequence of what Sharma called Congress's 'desperation' born from successive electoral defeats. Rather than introspection over its failures, the party has turned to personal attacks — that is the argument Rajasthan's Chief Minister is pressing publicly.
The BJP-Congress Personal-Attack Cycle
Mallikarjun Kharge took charge as Congress President in October 2022, becoming the first non-Gandhi to lead the party in more than two decades. His tenure has coincided with a string of election losses for Congress at both the national and state level, which the BJP has used relentlessly to frame the opposition as electorally irrelevant. That narrative now feeds directly into Sharma's post.
The BJP and Congress have traded increasingly personal salvos over recent election cycles — attacks on leaders' families, origins, and personal conduct have become a recurring feature of the political landscape, with both sides accusing the other of crossing lines. Sharma's post is the latest in that pattern, but the specific targeting of a deceased parent raises the temperature further.
Sharma's Warning to Congress
CM Sharma closed his post with a pointed warning: 'यह नया भारत है, जहाँ जनता अपमान और अहंकार का जवाब अपने जनादेश से देती है' — 'This is a new India, where the public answers insult and arrogance with its own mandate.' The line is a direct appeal to voters, signalling that the BJP intends to make Congress's political conduct a campaign issue.
'Petty politics earns not power, only public anger' — that is the kicker Sharma chose to land on, and it doubles as an open dare to Congress ahead of any future electoral battle.