A single sentence spoken in reply to a heckler has handed the BJP its latest big attack line against the Congress. At an event in Patna on Sunday, October 25, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge answered a shout from the audience with the words "Modi ka baap bhi jayega" – roughly, "even Modi's father will have to go". Within hours, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president Nitin Nabin and Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary had all lined up to condemn the remark, and a BJP leader had filed a police complaint.
What exactly happened in Patna
Kharge was speaking at a programme at Bapu Sabhagar to mark the 139th birth anniversary of Dr Shri Krishna Singh, Bihar's first Chief Minister. During his address, there was a brief commotion when a person in the audience called out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not going anywhere. Kharge shot back with the now-viral line.
He did not stop there. Continuing his speech, the Congress chief accused the Prime Minister of having "a habit of telling lies", and brought up the old promise of bringing back black money within 100 days, asking where that money had gone. He also attacked the RSS and called for its ideology to be ended in the country.
The clip spread quickly on social media, and by Sunday evening the remark had become the top political talking point of the day.
How the BJP hit back
Amit Shah: "torn apart all norms of decorum"
In a post on X, Amit Shah said Kharge had torn apart all norms of decorum by making an indecent remark about the Prime Minister's late father. Shah argued this was "not the first time", pointing to earlier episodes in which, he said, Congress leaders had targeted Modi's mother, called him a "merchant of death" and mocked him as a "chaiwala". He linked the pattern to frustration within the Congress after repeated election defeats over the last 12 years, saying the party was left with "the politics of slander".
Nitin Nabin and Samrat Choudhary
BJP president Nitin Nabin called the language "indecent and unparliamentary" and said it showed the Congress party's "ideological bankruptcy". He said dragging departed family members into public speeches had become the real culture of Rahul Gandhi and the opposition, and that the public would respond in due time.
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary described the statement as "deeply unfortunate" and demanded that both Kharge and Rahul Gandhi apologise immediately. BJP MP Sambit Patra called it "highly condemnable", while Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan questioned whether Kharge should continue as Congress president at all.
Police complaint filed at Kotwali
The row has also reached the police station. Krishna Kumar, a Bihar BJP leader, filed a complaint at Patna's Kotwali police station on Sunday. He said he learned of the remark from television news and was deeply hurt by it, and asked police to take appropriate legal action if any law was found to have been violated. No FIR or specific legal sections had been publicly reported at the time of writing.
Congress defends its president
The Congress did not back down. Senior leader and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel asked, "What is so abusive about that?", arguing that Kharge was simply replying to a heckler in an everyday manner of speaking. Baghel turned the attack around, pointing to remarks by the Prime Minister himself over the years – including the "50-crore girlfriend" jibe, the "Jersey cow" comment and the mangalsutra controversy – and said, "You were the ones who started it."
As of Monday morning, neither Kharge nor Rahul Gandhi had issued any apology.
Key facts at a glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Speaker | Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress president |
| Date | Sunday, October 25, 2026 |
| Venue | Bapu Sabhagar, Patna, Bihar |
| Occasion | 139th birth anniversary of Dr Shri Krishna Singh |
| Remark | "Modi ka baap bhi jayega" (reply to a heckler) |
| Main critics | Amit Shah, Nitin Nabin, Samrat Choudhary, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Sambit Patra |
| Complaint | Filed by BJP leader Krishna Kumar at Kotwali police station |
| Congress response | Bhupesh Baghel defended the remark; no apology so far |
Why this row matters
Personal remarks about leaders and their families have a long history of backfiring in Indian elections. The BJP has repeatedly turned such comments into campaign themes, and Amit Shah's list of past examples shows the party intends to do the same here. For the Congress, the timing is awkward: the party is preparing for its November 1 rally in Delhi over alleged "vote chori", and seat-sharing talks for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls are under way.
For ordinary voters, the episode is another reminder of how quickly political debate in India slides away from issues such as jobs, prices and black money – the very points Kharge was trying to raise – and towards personal barbs.
What happens next
Expect the BJP to keep the issue alive through press conferences and social media campaigns in the coming days, and the apology demand is likely to be repeated at rallies and on TV panels. Patna police will have to decide whether the complaint warrants further action. Whether Kharge offers a clarification, or the Congress continues to defend him, will shape how long this controversy runs.
Comments (0)