Rijiju praises Modi, says Congress has lost credible leaders
Synopsis
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju praised PM Modi as India's 'strongest ever Prime Minister' on November 2, invoking the late Congress veteran Natwar Singh's intellect and reported final opinions to argue that credible leaders have disappeared from the Congress party.
Key Takeaways
Kiren Rijiju , Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, posted on November 2, 2026 calling PM Modi India's 'strongest ever Prime Minister.' He cited the late Natwar Singh — Congress External Affairs Minister from 2004 — as a 'very learned man' who had shared an opinion before his death in 2024 .
Rijiju argued that with figures like Natwar Singh gone, 'credible leaders have vanished from the Congress party.' The post fits a broader BJP rhetorical pattern of invoking respected Congress veterans to highlight the party's perceived leadership decline.
Congress had not issued a formal response as of the evening of November 2, 2026 .
A pointed political contrast — drawn from the career of a departed statesman — landed on Monday evening when Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju used the memory of late Congress veteran Natwar Singh to deliver a sharp verdict on the opposition party's present standing.
Natwar Singh: the Congress diplomat Rijiju invoked
Natwar Singh served as External Affairs Minister in the first Manmohan Singh cabinet from 2004, widely regarded as one of the more intellectually formidable figures the Congress deployed in foreign policy. Rijiju acknowledged that stature directly, calling him 'a very learned man.' Singh passed away in 2024, and Rijiju noted that Singh had expressed a personal opinion — on what appears to be Prime Minister Modi's leadership — before his death.
The minister was careful not to put specific words in Singh's mouth, but the framing was deliberate: a Congress heavyweight, from a generation the party can no longer call upon, had apparently spoken approvingly. The implicit argument — credibility validated by an unlikely source — is a well-worn but effective rhetorical device in Indian political discourse.
The 'strongest ever Prime Minister' claim and what it signals
Rijiju opened by calling Narendra Modi 'India's strongest ever Prime Minister' — language that goes beyond routine BJP messaging and sets up the contrast he was building toward. It is a framing the ruling party has leaned on increasingly as it seeks to draw a line between Modi's tenure and the UPA era (2004–2014) that Natwar Singh was part of.
The closing line — 'credible leaders have vanished from the Congress party' — is the article's sharpest edge. It is a critique the BJP has deployed regularly, but grounding it in the passing of a Congress elder gives it a different texture: less partisan attack, more elegy-as-argument.
A familiar BJP playbook, with a personal touch
This kind of post fits a recognisable pattern: ruling-party figures citing former Congress stalwarts — Pranab Mukherjee, Arjun Singh, veterans of the Nehruvian or Narasimha Rao era — to suggest the party has hollowed out since. What makes this instance notable is the personal register Rijiju chose. He did not just name-drop Natwar Singh; he mourned him ('sadly passed away'), praised his intellect, and then pivoted to the critique. The warmth makes the sting land harder.
Congress has not yet formally responded to the post as of Monday, November 2, 2026. Any rebuttal — in Parliament or on social media — is likely to test whether the party can answer the 'credibility deficit' charge on its own terms, or whether it will contest the framing of Natwar Singh's reported opinion altogether.
Point of View
Rijiju softens what is ultimately a hard political charge, making it harder for Congress to dismiss without appearing to dishonour a party legend. The tactic is most effective when the opposition struggles to produce a counter-narrative anchored in a living, widely respected figure — precisely the credibility vacuum Rijiju is calling out. Expect Congress to either contest the characterisation of what Natwar Singh actually said, or sidestep the framing entirely by pivoting to current policy criticism.
NationPress
2 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Kiren Rijiju say about Natwar Singh?
Rijiju called Natwar Singh a 'very learned man' and a credible Congress leader who had shared his personal opinion before his death in 2024, using Singh's stature to argue that such credible figures no longer exist in the Congress party.
Who was Natwar Singh and what was his role in Congress?
Natwar Singh was a senior Congress leader and diplomat who served as External Affairs Minister in the first Manmohan Singh cabinet from 2004. He was known for his intellectual depth and long career in Indian foreign policy before passing away in 2024.
Why is Rijiju calling Modi the 'strongest ever Prime Minister'?
Rijiju made the claim as part of a political contrast with the Congress-led UPA era, a framing the BJP has consistently used to highlight Modi's tenure against the opposition's track record in government.
Has Congress responded to Rijiju's post about Natwar Singh?
As of the evening of November 2, 2026, no formal Congress response to Rijiju's post had been issued, though reactions in Parliament or on social media could follow.
What is the BJP's broader strategy of citing Congress veterans?
The BJP regularly invokes respected Congress figures from past eras — including those who have passed away — to argue that the opposition party has declined in quality of leadership, drawing a contrast with what it presents as the current government's strength and vision.
