The BJP on Monday held nationwide protests against Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's controversial remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh slamming him, terming the outburst "extremely unfortunate." He also said the opposition party has suffered a political and ideological downfall. In Delhi, the ruling party staged a protest near Kharge's residence. In Patna, his effigy was burnt.
He sparked a controversy on Sunday with his remarks "Modi ka baap bhi jayega", in response to an audience member's comment that "the PM would not go anywhere", during an event in Patna, Bihar. The incident took place at a programme to celebrate the 139th birth anniversary of Bihar's first chief minister, Shrikrishna Singh.
Asked about Kharge's remarks, Rajnath Singh told reporters in New Delhi it is "extremely unfortunate". The Congress president's remarks have hurt the sentiments of crores of people of the country, he added,
The defence minister said turning ideological opposition into "personal insults", dragging political disagreement down to "abusive language", and targeting the prime minister's family reflect the Congress's "frustration and ideological bankruptcy".
"I believe this is not merely an insult to an individual or a family, but an attack on the dignity of Indian politics," he said.
"Political opposition is one thing, but this kind of conduct cannot be acceptable under any circumstances," Rajnath Singh said, adding, "Oppose in a democracy, question policies, criticise the government, but at least do not breach personal boundaries. This is what I would like to suggest."
The defence minister said, given the position Kharge holds, he is expected to demonstrate "greater seriousness, restraint, dignity and responsible conduct in public life".
"If the national president of the Congress himself uses such language, it is not only contrary to the dignity of his post, but also raises serious questions about Congress's political culture," he added.
Rajnath Singh said Kharge's remarks reflect that the Congress has suffered not just a political downfall, but an ideological downfall as well. The standard of Congress politics is declining every day, he said.
"I want to make it clear to the Congress that Prime Minister Modi can neither be distracted by such remarks, nor can his resolve to serve the public be weakened in any way," he added.
The defence minister also slammed the Congress for attempting to "justify" Kharge's remark and defend him, instead of "accepting the mistake and expressing regret".
He said "The Congress should remember that in a democracy, the public keeps account of everything and gives a fitting reply when the time comes."
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi also took a swipe at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Kharge. The BJP had known about Rahul Gandhi's immaturity, but now it seems others in the party have also got infected due to keeping bad company, Joshi said.
Union ministers Jitan Ram Manjhi and Rajiv Ranjan Singh, alias Lalan Singh also criticised Kharge.
The Congress chief's son and Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge hit back, saying the BJP likes to make issues out of non-issues. "These cultured people have forgotten what Modi and Shah have said in the past. We don't need to learn culture from them," he said.
Meanwhile, the BJP held nationwide protests. In Delhi, BJP leaders and workers staged a protest near Kharge's residence on Rajaji Marg. The protesters were stopped by the police when they tried to march from Sena Bhawan Circle towards his residence. They raised slogans and demanded an apology from Kharge and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.
In Bihar, BJP leaders and supporters, led by state unit president Sanjay Saraogi, took out a 'Jan Akrosh March' from the party headquarters to Dak Bungalow Chauraha in Patna and burnt an effigy of Kharge.
"Yesterday, all limits were crossed when the platform to celebrate the birth anniversary of Shrikrishna Singh, the architect of modern Bihar, was used to make abusive remarks about the late father of the Prime Minister," Saraogi said.
In Jammu, BJP workers held a protest at Dogra Chowk under the leadership of party MLA Shagun Parihar and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha's Jammu and Kashmir president Arun Prabhat.
They raised slogans against the Congress and burnt posters of Kharge and Gandhi. According to reports, protests and demonstrations were held in Samba, Kathua, Poonch, Udhampur, Rajouri, Doda, Kishtwar and Reasi districts over the issue.
In Bengaluru, BJP leaders staged a protest at Freedom Park. The protesters raised slogans against Kharge, climbed barricades and attempted to march towards Vidhana Soudha, the seat of power.
Police detained several BJP leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka, Legislative Council Opposition leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, Ashwath Narayan, C P Ramamurthy and MLC N Ravikumar, and took them to Upparpet police station.
Protests were also held in other parts of the country, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Telangana.
In Jharkhand, hundreds of BJP workers and senior leaders of the party, including its state president Aditya Sahu and Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi, marched to the Congress office in Ranchi, raising slogans like 'Stop abusing the Prime Minister' and 'India will not tolerate insults to the Prime Minister' . Himachal BJP held a protest in Shimla.