Nadda Slams Kharge's Language, Challenges Congress on Opposition Role
Synopsis
BJP national president and Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda taunted Congress on October 29, 2026, saying his party — with 40 years in opposition — could teach Congress how to play the role. He called Kharge's language 'extremely disappointing' and criticised the party for defending the Congress president's remarks.
Key Takeaways
Nadda , BJP national president and Union Health Minister, posted a sharp attack on Congress on October 29, 2026 .
Nadda claimed BJP spent 40 years in the opposition and is better qualified to lecture Congress on the role's responsibilities.
He directly targeted Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge , calling his language 'extremely disappointing.' Nadda said it was a 'matter of shame' that Congress was defending Kharge's remarks rather than distancing itself.
The post is part of a long-standing pattern of BJP-Congress verbal clashes that have intensified since 2014.
Nadda's dual role as party president and cabinet minister gives his public statements both electoral and executive resonance.
Four decades of sitting in the opposition benches, Union Health Minister and BJP national president J. P. Nadda declared on Thursday, October 29, 2026, is exactly why his party knows how the job is done — and why he believes the Indian National Congress should take notes.
Posting in Hindi on X, Nadda did not mince words: 'हम 40 साल तक विपक्ष में रहे हैं, कांग्रेस को हमसे ट्यूशन ले लेनी चाहिए' — 'We have been in the opposition for 40 years; Congress should take tuition from us.' The jab carries a precise political history: the BJP and its predecessor Jan Sangh spent the bulk of the post-Independence era outside power at the Centre, finally breaking through in 2014.
Nadda's Sharpest Line: 'Shameful That Congress Is Defending Kharge'
The more pointed attack was reserved for Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Nadda described Kharge's language as 'extremely disappointing' and called it a matter of shame that the Congress party was standing behind its president's remarks rather than distancing itself. 'Where has Congress ended up?' he asked — a rhetorical close designed to land like a verdict, not a question.
The specific statement by Kharge that triggered the broadside could not be independently confirmed, but the pattern is unmistakable: senior BJP leaders have consistently used Kharge's tenure as Congress president as a pressure point, framing his public remarks as evidence of a party adrift rather than a credible alternative government in waiting.
The BJP's '40-Year' Claim and What It Actually Means
Nadda's '40 years in opposition' framing deserves unpacking. The BJP — counting lineage through the Bharatiya Jana Sangh — was in the political wilderness for most of the Congress-dominated era from Independence through the 1980s. The party's first real taste of central power came with the short-lived Atal Bihari Vajpayee governments of 1996 and then 1998–2004, before returning to opposition until the decisive 2014 mandate. That history is now being weaponised as a credential — 'we were the principled opposition; you are not.'
It is a calculated inversion: the party once dismissed as a permanent outsider now lectures the party that once defined Indian politics on how to play the minority role with dignity.
Congress–BJP Friction: A Permanent Feature, Sharpening Now
Exchanges of this kind between BJP's top brass and Congress leadership have been a near-constant feature of Indian political discourse since 2014. What gives Nadda's post added weight is his dual role — simultaneously the government's Union Health Minister and the BJP's national party president. Statements from that perch carry both executive authority and organisational muscle, making them more than routine social-media sparring.
Congress has not formally responded to this particular post at the time of publication. All eyes now turn to the next Parliament session, where the verbal bout is almost certain to move from X to the floor of the House.
Point of View
Nadda forces the opposition onto the defensive over optics rather than policy, a terrain where BJP has consistently held the advantage since 2014. The 'where has Congress ended up?' closing line is particularly pointed: it frames the opposition's crisis as self-inflicted, not structural. Whether Congress responds substantively or lets the exchange fade will itself be read as a signal of the party's internal confidence heading into the next parliamentary session.
NationPress
29 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did J. P. Nadda say about Congress and Mallikarjun Kharge?
Nadda said that Congress should 'take tuition' from BJP on how to be in the opposition, called Kharge's language 'extremely disappointing,' and criticised Congress for defending the party president's remarks rather than distancing itself from them.
Why did Nadda say BJP was in the opposition for 40 years?
Nadda was referencing the BJP's political history — counting from its predecessor Jan Sangh — of spending most of the post-Independence era outside central power before forming the government in 2014. He used this as a credential to claim BJP understands principled opposition better than Congress currently does.
What specific statement by Kharge did Nadda object to?
The specific Kharge statement that prompted Nadda's post has not been independently confirmed at the time of publication. Nadda described it broadly as conduct and language that he found deeply disappointing from an opposition leader.
What is J. P. Nadda's current role in government and party?
J. P. Nadda is the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, and the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Has Congress responded to Nadda's attack on Kharge?
No formal response from Congress had been issued at the time of publication. A response is expected in the coming days, particularly at the next Parliament session.
