BJP announces nationwide protests over Kharge remarks about Modi’s late father

India’s Bharatiya Janata Party has announced nationwide protests against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over remarks he made about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late father at an event in Patna, The Hindu and NDTV reported. The BJP said demonstrations would be held on Monday, October 26, at state party headquarters across the country. The Hindu quoted the party as describing Kharge’s comments as “insulting, indecent, and offensive” and as an attack on the dignity of the Prime Minister’s family.

The controversy centres on a remark reported by The Hindu as “Modi ka baap bhi jayega”, translated in the report as “even Modi’s father will go”. Kharge made the comment while addressing an event in Patna on Sunday, October 25. The supplied reports do not provide the wider passage or the context in which the words were used.

Senior BJP leaders reacted sharply. Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused Kharge of tearing apart the norms of political decorum. The BJP also alleged that Congress, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, was increasingly resorting to personal attacks against Modi and his family.

The planned action will include a separate protest by the Bihar BJP. According to The Hindu, the state unit intends to hold a march from its party headquarters in Patna and burn an effigy over Kharge’s statement. The national party’s announcement referred to demonstrations at state headquarters, but the reports do not specify the expected size, timing or programme for each protest.

Kharge’s remarks came during a period of broader political mobilisation in Bihar. The Hindu reported that he was speaking at a state-level celebration of the birth anniversary of Krishna Singh, Bihar’s first chief minister. The report also said Kharge described an ongoing protest against special intensive revision as a “second war of Independence” and urged people in Bihar to support the nationwide movement.

The BJP’s announcement escalates a dispute focused on language and political conduct rather than a policy disagreement. NDTV described the party’s objection as a response to remarks it considered highly objectionable and damaging to the dignity of the Prime Minister’s family. The supplied material does not report an apology, clarification or direct response from Kharge or the Congress leadership, and it does not say whether the proposed protests have begun.