A remark made by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in Patna about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's late father has triggered a sharp political backlash — and Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary was among the first to voice outrage, sharing a statement from Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday, October 26, 2026.

Quoting Rajnath Singh's statement verbatim, CM Choudhary posted: 'पटना में कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष मल्लिकार्जुन खरगे जी द्वारा, प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेंद्र मोदी जी के स्वर्गीय पिताजी के ऊपर की गई टिप्पणी ने मुझे स्तब्ध और बहुत आहत किया है।' — 'The comment made by Congress President Kharge in Patna about Prime Minister Modi's late father has left me stunned and deeply hurt.'

Congress defends Kharge, BJP says it compounds the offence

The Defence Minister's statement — and its amplification by state leaders like Choudhary — zeroes in on a second grievance: that Congress, rather than distancing itself from the remarks, has since moved to justify them. 'The Congress party is again hurting people's sentiments by trying to justify Kharge's words,' the statement reads. That double provocation — the original comment and the subsequent defence — is what BJP is now pressing hard on.

Rajnath Singh was pointed in his framing: political opposition has its place, but 'such conduct cannot be acceptable under any circumstances.' The distinction being drawn is deliberate — between policy criticism, which the party says it welcomes, and what it characterises as attacks on personal dignity and family.

Modi's family origins — the BJP narrative at stake

This is not the first time a reference to PM Modi's background has detonated into a political storm. Since his 2014 national campaign, BJP has built a central plank around Modi's rise from modest origins — his father Damodardas Mulchand Modi was a tea seller in Vadnagar, Gujarat. The story of a chai-wala's son becoming Prime Minister has been one of the party's most durable electoral narratives, framing Modi as a meritocratic outsider against a backdrop of dynastic politics. Any remark that touches that story — especially one involving the deceased father — is guaranteed to draw an immediate, coordinated response.

Rajnath Singh closed his statement with a line that functions as both a defence and a political assertion: 'PM Modi cannot be unsettled by such comments, nor can his resolve to serve the people be weakened.' The message is calibrated — it positions Modi as above the fray while keeping the attack on Congress alive in the news cycle.

Bihar's amplification of a national flashpoint

That Samrat Choudhary chose to amplify this statement from Patna — the very city where Kharge's comment reportedly originated — is not incidental. Bihar has an active BJP-Congress fault line, and state-level leaders routinely magnify central party messaging to consolidate their own voter base. The Congress president's presence in Patna and the comment made there gives this episode a direct Bihar dimension, making it sharper political currency for the Chief Minister.

As both parties dig in, the exchange follows a well-worn but potent pattern in Indian politics: a remark on Modi's family background, a BJP charge of indignity, and a Congress insistence that the criticism is legitimate scrutiny. The terrain is familiar. The intensity, for now, is not cooling.