Guwahati, Oct 26: The Assam unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a protest in Guwahati on Monday, joining a nationwide campaign demanding an apology from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over his alleged derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late father.
The protest was held at Sarusajai, where BJP leaders and workers raised slogans against Kharge and Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, condemning the remarks made by the Congress president at a party event in Patna on Sunday.
BJP Mahila Morcha member Ratna Singh said Kharge’s comments reflected the Congress’s “true character” and were unacceptable.
“Kharge is the Congress president, and his use of disrespectful language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late father in Patna reflects the party’s true character. Earlier, Opposition leaders had also made objectionable remarks about the Prime Minister’s late mother,” Singh said.
Singh further alleged that the BJP will not tolerate such remarks against a democratically elected representative of the country.
“Kharge is of our grandfather’s age, yet he used such objectionable language. We will not tolerate this. BJP workers across the country have taken to the streets today, and we in Assam are also protesting and condemning his remarks,” she said.
BJP Mahila Morcha state president Purabi Roy demanded Kharge’s resignation and a public apology.
“We demand the resignation of Kharge and a public apology for the remarks he had made,” Roy said.
BJP member Rupak Sharma said political disagreements should not extend to family members.
“Political exchanges are fine, but dragging someone’s father is condemnable,” he said, adding that Kharge had also made disrespectful remarks about Assam in the past.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also criticised Kharge, referring to his earlier remarks concerning Assamese cultural icon Dr Bhupen Hazarika and the Centre’s decision to confer the Bharat Ratna on him.
Sarma also criticised Kharge’s son (Priyank Kharge), alleging that his earlier remarks reflected disrespect towards Indian culture.
Similar protests were also reported from Bihar, Jammu, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad, with demonstrators carrying party flags, burning effigies of the Congress president.
The protests followed Kharge’s address at a Congress event in Patna on Sunday to mark the birth anniversary of Sri Krishna Singh, Bihar’s first Chief Minister.
During the programme, an audience member reportedly interrupted Kharge, asserting that Modi would not leave power. In response, Kharge said, “Modi ka baap bhi jayega” (Even Modi’s father will have to go).
The Congress president reportedly repeated the remark, triggering a political controversy and drawing sharp criticism from the BJP.
With inputs from IANS