Delhi CM Rekha Gupta slams Kharge's remarks against PM Modi at Patna event
Synopsis
A Patna anniversary event turned into a major political flashpoint after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks about PM Modi drew a unified BJP counter-attack — led by Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP chief Nitin Nabin — with leaders calling the language 'ideological poverty' and evidence of Congress's decade-long electoral frustration.
Key Takeaways
Delhi CM Rekha Gupta condemned Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks against PM Modi in a post on X on 25 October 2026 .
The controversy erupted at the 139th birth anniversary event of Bihar's first CM Shri Krishna Singh in Patna .
Home Minister Amit Shah called the remarks part of a pattern of Congress using 'abusive language' against Modi and his family.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda demanded the 'strongest possible condemnation' of Kharge's conduct.
BJP president Nitin Nabin termed the remarks 'indecent and unparliamentary,' linking them to the party's 'ideological bankruptcy.' The Congress party had not formally responded to the BJP's condemnation as of Sunday evening .
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday, 25 October 2026, condemned Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling them 'vulgar' and a sign of the Congress party's 'moral and ideological decline.' The controversy originated at an event in Patna marking the 139th birth anniversary of Bihar's first chief minister, Shri Krishna Singh, where Kharge made the remarks after being heckled by an audience member who shouted, 'Modi kahin nahin jayega' (Modi will not go anywhere).
Delhi CM's Rebuke on X
Gupta, in a post on social media platform X, addressed Kharge directly, writing: 'Such vulgar language is the pinnacle of the Congress party's moral and ideological decline. The Congress party's problem is not just with Modi ji. Its real problem is with that common Indian who shook the throne of dynasticism and made a son from an ordinary family the Prime Minister of the country.'
She further stated: 'Making indecent remarks about the esteemed Prime Minister ji's family is not political courage, but ideological poverty.' Gupta framed the controversy not as a personal spat, but as an indicator of the Congress party's deepening disconnect with ordinary voters.
Home Minister Amit Shah Hits Out at Congress
Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused the Congress party of 'tearing apart the decorum' by using 'abusive language' against PM Modi and his late father. Shah noted a pattern of such remarks, saying: 'This is not the first time that the Congress party has used abusive language against Modi ji or his family. At times, they have hurled insults at his revered mother, at times called him 'merchant of death,' and at times mocked his poverty by calling him chaiwala.'
Shah attributed the conduct to 'desperation and frustration' within a party that has faced over a decade of electoral defeats, asserting that Congress 'will receive a resounding response' as it has before.
Nadda and BJP President Condemn the Remarks
Union Health Minister JP Nadda called for the 'strongest possible condemnation,' stating that Congress was 'venting its political spite against Prime Minister Modi ji and his family through baseless and irresponsible comments' after 'repeated electoral defeats.'
BJP president Nitin Nabin labelled the remarks 'indecent and unparliamentary,' arguing that they reflected 'the entire Congress party's lack of decorum in its thinking.' He added: 'When the opposition has no solid issues left to debate on the country's development, policies, and public welfare schemes, they resort to this kind of desperation and personal attacks.'
Context and Pattern
This is not an isolated episode. BJP leaders have repeatedly flagged what they describe as a pattern of personal attacks on Modi by Congress leaders, particularly escalating around state election cycles. The Patna event, meant to celebrate a Bihar icon, instead triggered a fresh political flashpoint. Critics argue such exchanges reflect the broader polarisation within Indian electoral politics, where sharp personal rhetoric has increasingly substituted substantive policy debate.
The Congress party is yet to formally respond to the BJP's unified condemnation as of Sunday evening, and whether Kharge issues a clarification or doubles down remains to be seen.
Point of View
Coordinated response — spanning the Delhi CM, the Home Minister, the Health Minister, and the party president — signals that the ruling party sees political advantage in amplifying Kharge's remarks rather than letting them pass. What is framed as outrage is also a mobilisation tool, especially ahead of state election cycles. Notably, the Congress has not been given space in this narrative — mainstream coverage has largely carried BJP voices. The deeper question, which goes unasked in the heat of the exchange, is whether either side is willing to return political discourse to policy ground — and whether voters are still watching the conduct closely enough to punish departures from it.
NationPress
25 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Mallikarjun Kharge say about PM Modi at the Patna event?
Kharge made remarks described by BJP leaders as 'objectionable' and 'abusive' against PM Modi and his late father during the 139th birth anniversary event of Bihar's first chief minister, Shri Krishna Singh, in Patna. The specific remarks were condemned as 'vulgar' and 'unparliamentary' by multiple BJP leaders, though the Congress party had not formally responded as of Sunday.
Why did Delhi CM Rekha Gupta criticise Congress president Kharge?
Rekha Gupta criticised Kharge via a post on X, calling his language a sign of Congress's 'moral and ideological decline' and 'ideological poverty.' She argued the Congress party's real problem was not Modi personally, but its inability to accept that a man from an ordinary family had become Prime Minister through popular will.
What did Home Minister Amit Shah say about the controversy?
Amit Shah accused Congress of 'tearing apart the decorum' with abusive language against Modi and his father, and cited a pattern of such attacks — including references to Modi's mother, calling him 'merchant of death,' and mocking him as 'chaiwala.' He attributed the conduct to the party's frustration after over a decade of electoral defeats.
Who else from the BJP condemned Kharge's remarks?
Union Health Minister JP Nadda called for the 'strongest possible condemnation,' while BJP president Nitin Nabin labelled the remarks 'indecent and unparliamentary' and reflective of Congress's 'ideological bankruptcy.' Multiple other BJP leaders also issued statements of condemnation.
What triggered the controversy at the Patna event?
The controversy began when an audience member at the birth anniversary celebration of Bihar's first chief minister, Shri Krishna Singh, shouted 'Modi kahin nahin jayega' (Modi will not go anywhere) — prompting Kharge to respond with remarks that BJP leaders subsequently condemned as objectionable and offensive.
