New Delhi, Sep 20 — From Delhi to Washington, the naraaz fufaji -- the grumpy, angry or perpetually sulking uncle -- has now found a popular place in political vocabulary.

It is not that naaraz fufaji is a new discovery; every Indian family knows one. But suddenly, these two words have acquired their own status, putting a familiar family character at the centre of political conversations.

It is quite interesting to watch several 'naaraz fufajis' getting the spotlight in the country, from the desi political arena to international politics and even other fields. The country suddenly seems to have too many fufajis.

The fufaji is a character most Indian households instantly recognise. He arrives at a family function and, instead of simply enjoying the hospitality, starts inspecting the arrangements. Why is this here? Why was that done? What was the need? And, most importantly, why wasn't I asked?

The questions may be basic, but the intention is usually to find something wrong and, perhaps, remind everyone that he would have done it better. If the food is good, he will ask why another dish was not included. If the venue is impressive, he will question why this place was chosen. And if everything has gone perfectly, he may remind everyone that his daughter's or son's wedding was better.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently gave this familiar Indian character a political identity.

During his interaction with students at the centenary celebrations of Shri Ram College of Commerce, PM Modi referred to the naraz fufaji, taking a dig at those who question every new government initiative. He returned to the expression days later in Vadodara while speaking about development projects worth more than Rs 35,000 crore and the completion of the Dedicated Freight Corridor.

The Prime Minister did not name anyone. But politics does not always require names. Sometimes a fufaji is enough.

PM Modi used the freight corridor to contrast the pace of work under his government with the earlier Congress-led UPA period, pointing out that the project had been conceived earlier but had moved slowly before 2014.

Once the naraaz fufaji entered political vocabulary, social media did what it does best -- memes, videos and reels appeared. And, naturally, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party became frequent recipients of the new political nickname.

But Rahul Gandhi is not the only one who seems to have accepted the fufaji job description. Akhilesh Yadav too has increasingly found himself in the same political conversation, often taking a similar line to Rahul Gandhi on national issues.

The BRICS Summit in New Delhi provided a rather perfect example.

After India hosted a gala dinner for BRICS leaders with an elaborate vegetarian menu showcasing different parts of the country, Rahul Gandhi found something else to put on the political menu. He pointed out that 80 per cent of Indians are non-vegetarian and praised non-vegetarian food.

Like a typical fufaji, Rahul Gandhi managed to find a point of criticism in the dinner menu at an international summit.

Akhilesh Yadav also criticised the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government, saying international events such as the BRICS Summit could not conceal domestic governance shortcomings or replace genuine democratic accountability.

Fair criticism? That is for people to decide. But in the fufaji dictionary, the timing certainly qualifies. The naraaz fufaji does not discriminate between a major family decision and the colour of the curtains. Everything deserves a comment.

The wedding may be grand. The guests may be happy. The food may be excellent. But the fufaji will still ask questions and pass indirect judgements. In politics, apparently, even a BRICS dinner is not safe.

And then there is the international family.

US President Donald Trump could almost qualify as the international edition of the fufaji -- the kind who walks into a family gathering and within minutes tells everyone how important he is, how much he has done for them and what they should be doing differently.

India has had its own experience.

During the tensions between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor in May 2025, Trump repeatedly claimed a role in bringing the hostilities to an end and spoke about mediation. India rejected the suggestion of US mediation and maintained that the cessation of firing followed direct communication between the two militaries.

Then came the tariff threats and Trump's repeated comments on the Indian economy. In July 2025, he described India and Russia as having "dead economies".

No sooner had the international fufaji commented than some Indian fufajis led by Rahul Gandhi quickly endorsed it. Gandhi said Trump was right and that the Indian economy was a "dead economy", while blaming the Modi government.

They even tried to add their own reasons for the remarks, thereby proving a point for which the fufaji is perpetually known -- a fufaji gone naaraz. Every Indian knows this: the fufaji has an opinion about everything.

And politics has plenty of such characters.

Governments need criticism. Opposition parties have every right to question decisions. But when every government initiative is criticised simply because it comes from the government, the criticism can start sounding predictable. Rahul Gandhi has done this on several occasions, giving further credence to the fufaji title.

At the same time, when every criticism is dismissed by calling the critic a naraaz fufaji, governments can also avoid answering uncomfortable questions.

That is perhaps the strange beauty of the political fufaji. He is always around. He does not really retire. When his party is in Opposition, everything the government does is wrong. When his party comes to power, everything the previous government did becomes wrong.

When the government announces something, he asks why. When it does not announce something, he asks why not. When something succeeds, he asks why it took so long. And when something fails, he is the first to say, "I told you so".

The fufaji will never change. And perhaps that is the most Indian thing about our political family. There will always be a naraaz fufaji, frowning at everything under the sun, no matter what.

(Deepika Bhan can be contacted at deepika.b@ians.in)

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