Bhubaneswar, Oct 26 — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Odisha unit on Monday condemned the alleged controversial remarks made by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and staged a protest in Bhubaneswar, demanding a public apology from him.
The protest was held by the BJP after the Congress President Kharge lost his cool during an address at an event in Bihar’s Patna on Sunday. Responding to an audience member's remark that Prime Minister Modi would not go anywhere, Kharge said, “Modi ka baap bhi jayega.”
The Odisha BJP, in a statement, said Kharge had crossed all limits of political decency by making derogatory remarks about the Prime Minister’s father. It alleged that the Congress had previously made such insulting remarks targeting Modi and his family.
The party said Kharge’s language reflected not only his own conduct but also the frustration of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress. The Odisha BJP asserted that such indecent remarks in politics will not be tolerated and also demanded a public apology from the Congress president.
“Ideals, ideology and decorum have a distinct place in politics. Politics is based on idealism and ideology,” Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal said.
He said that differences of opinion are natural in a democracy, but one should not violate one’s own dignity and political ideals under the pretext of differences of opinion.
“The Congress needs to understand its responsibilities and role as the Opposition. Having ruled the country for many years, the Congress has become frustrated and disappointed because it is no longer in power, and the impact of this is reflected in its political statements,” Samal added.
On Monday, BJP leaders and workers took out a rally from the party’s state headquarters to Master Canteen Square in Bhubaneswar, where they staged a demonstration against Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. Raising slogans such as “Congress’s vulgar mindset, from failure to indecency” and “Indecent and frustrated Congress,” the protesters burnt effigies of the two leaders.
State BJP secretary Saroj Kumar Kar, former minister Arabinda Dhali, senior leader Priyadarshi Mishra, state executive committee member Jagannath Pradhan, along with several others, participated in the protest.