Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the RSS and Nitish Kumar at a birth anniversary event in Patna, raising questions over black money, untouchability and political ideology.
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A ruckus broke out during Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge’s address at the 139th birth anniversary celebration of Dr Shri Krishna Singh in Patna, Bihar, on Sunday, October 25, after a person in the gathering reportedly said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not go anywhere. Responding to the remark, Kharge said, “Modi ka baap bhi jayega.”
He then accused the Prime Minister of habitually speaking untruths. “PM Modi has a habit of telling lies. He had said that he would bring back black money in his first 100 days. I want to ask, where is that money?” Kharge asked.
Turning to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Congress president called for an end to its ideology in the country and accused the organisation of communal activity since its inception. “If we speak about the RSS today, people might interpret it differently...well, the reason you are being targeted is that you have been engaged in this very same activity ever since your inception—that is why you are being targeted. Therefore, as long as the ideology of the RSS persists in this country, there will be no peace,” he said.
Kharge also condemned the practice of untouchability, citing a purification ritual held in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, in August. “On August 8, 2026, in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, a purification ritual was performed for the stage located near a temple. 80 years after Independence, how will there be unity if untouchability prevails?” he said.
He added, “Even today, the RSS-BJP is rife with people who harbour notions of untouchability and hold views that run counter to the Constitution. It saddens me that Nitish Kumar, who entered the political scene carrying the ideology of the Socialist Party, has ended up in the lap of the BJP and the RSS. This is what happens when a person becomes weak and abandons their ideology.”
Kharge’s remarks questioned why Nitish Kumar, the former Bihar chief minister and Janata Dal (United) chief, had moved to the BJP-led NDA despite being a standard-bearer of socialist politics.
The Haldwani row followed a Congress rally at Ramlila Ground, after which members of a right-wing group performed a “shuddhikaran” (purification) ritual at the venue. Congress leaders criticised the act and alleged that it amounted to untouchability.