‘Modi ka baap bhi jayega’: Kharge’s retort to heckler triggers row, BJP announces protest

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge sparked a political controversy in Patna on October 25 after he responded sharply to a heckler who shouted in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an event marking the 139th birth anniversary of Bihar’s first chief minister, Shri Krishna Singh.

Kharge was addressing a gathering at Bapu Sabhagar when a man in the audience interrupted him. According to the video, the heckler said, “Modi nahin jayega” (Modi will not go), prompting the Congress chief to reply, “Modi ka baap bhi jayega” (Even Modi’s father will have to go).

The exchange was captured on video and circulated widely on social media. Organisers and Congress workers then removed the man from the hall; some reports alleged that he was assaulted, though the exact circumstances were not immediately clear.

After the interruption, Kharge resumed his address with a wider attack on the BJP, RSS and the Election Commission of India. He criticised the Prime Minister over the promise to bring back black money and said there would be no peace in the country as long as the RSS ideology persisted.

The Congress president also targeted the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He demanded its immediate halt, called for ballot papers in future elections, and described opposition to the SIR exercise as a “second war for independence".

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BJP has called a nationwide demonstration following Kharge's controversial remark. Denouncing the comment targeting the PM and his late father as indecent and offensive, the party announced demonstrations across state and district headquarters across India today (October 26), demanding an apology from the Congress leadership.

Amit Shah hits back

Union Home Minister Amit Shah strongly criticised Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over his “Modi ka baap bhi jayega” remark, saying the Congress chief had “torn apart all norms of decorum by making an indecent remark about Modi ji’s father” in Patna.

In a post on X, Shah said this was not the first time the Congress had used abusive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi or his family. “At times, they have hurled insults at his revered mother, at times called him ‘merchant of death,’ and at times mocked his poverty by calling him ‘chaiwala’,” he wrote.

A complaint was also filed against Kharge at Patna’s Kotwali police station over the alleged derogatory remark about PM Modi’s father. The BJP announced a nationwide protest against Kharge’s remark on Monday, intensifying the confrontation between the two parties over the Patna incident.

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Congress defended Kharge, arguing that his response came after repeated provocation from the audience and that his larger remarks were directed at alleged irregularities in the SIR process and threats to voting rights. The party also sought to frame the episode as part of its broader campaign for electoral transparency and constitutional protections.