Agartala, Oct 26: The BJP staged a protest in Agartala on Monday against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s controversial remarks referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late father, with senior party leaders accusing the Congress chief of making inappropriate comments out of political frustration.
BJP leaders and workers assembled in front of Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan to condemn Kharge’s remarks, which have triggered a political confrontation between the BJP and the Congress.
Addressing reporters in the sideline of the protest, Tripura BJP president and MLA Abhishek Debroy said the remarks reflected frustration within the Congress leadership over its electoral setbacks.
“Political discourse in the country should not stoop to this level,” Debroy said, asserting that personal attacks against the prime minister would not help the Congress regain public support.
He said the BJP strongly condemned the remarks and expressed confidence that the party would continue to strengthen its electoral position.
Senior BJP leader and Tripura Minister Tinku Roy also criticised Kharge, saying the president of a national party with a long political history should exercise restraint while making public statements.
“People across the country are angry over the remarks. Such comments should not have been made,” Roy said.
He alleged that Kharge’s statement reflected frustration over the Congress’s electoral defeats and said voters would respond to such remarks in future elections.
Roy said the Tripura BJP had organised the protest to register its opposition to the Congress president’s comments, adding that political differences should not lead to personal remarks against the prime minister and his late father.
BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharjee also accused the Congress leadership of struggling to accept its electoral setbacks. He said remarks of this nature were unbecoming of a senior politician with decades of experience in parliamentary and electoral politics.
The controversy followed Kharge’s remarks at an event in Patna on Sunday commemorating the birth anniversary of Bihar’s first chief minister, Shrikrishna Singh. Responding to an audience member who said Modi would not leave office, Kharge made a remark referring to the prime minister’s father, drawing sharp criticism from the BJP.
The Congress has defended Kharge, maintaining that his comments came in response to the audience member’s remarks.
The BJP has demanded an apology from the Congress president and launched protests against his statement.
