Giriraj Singh slams Kharge over remark on PM Modi's father
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
A sharp political volley landed on Monday, October 26, 2026, when Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh fired back at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, accusing him of deliberately insulting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's late father — and pinning the blame not on impulse, but on orders from above.
Posting in Hindi on X, Singh wrote: 'Mallikarjun Kharge dwara Pradhanmantri ji ke pujya pita ji ka apmaan koi bhool nahin, unke aaka ka seedha aadesh hai' — 'The insult of the Prime Minister's revered father by Mallikarjun Kharge is no slip of the tongue; it is a direct order from his master.' He went on to allege that Congress's 'shahzade' — a pointed reference to Rahul Gandhi — and party leaders have made a habit of targeting the Prime Minister and his family with what he called 'cheap attacks.' Singh concluded that the remarks expose Congress's 'fallen values and desperation-filled character.'
Kharge's remark and what Singh alleges
The specific comment by Kharge that triggered Singh's post has not been independently verified, but Singh's framing is unambiguous: he treats it not as a gaffe but as coordinated strategy. By invoking the word 'aaka' — 'master' — he implies that the Congress president acts on direction rather than personal conviction, a framing designed to implicate the broader Congress leadership structure in the alleged slight.
This kind of political counter-punch has become a recurring feature of the BJP-Congress face-off. Senior BJP figures have repeatedly accused Congress leaders of crossing a personal line by bringing the Prime Minister's family into political attacks — a charge Congress typically contests by pointing to BJP leaders' own sharp rhetoric.
The BJP-Congress pattern of personal-attack politics
Mallikarjun Kharge, who became Congress president in October 2022, has been a frequent target of BJP criticism since taking the helm of India's oldest national party. As a Karnataka parliamentarian with decades of political experience, he occupies a different register from Rahul Gandhi — yet Singh's post lumps them together as part of a single chain of command, reinforcing the BJP's favourite narrative that Gandhi runs Congress regardless of who holds the formal presidency.
For over a decade, national politics has been marked by this escalating exchange of personal jibes that blur the line between policy debate and family honour. Singh's post is the latest data point in that pattern — combative, sharp, and aimed squarely at the opposition's credibility rather than any specific legislation or policy position.