Patna/New Delhi:
A stark remark by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge about Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an event in Patna triggered a row on Sunday as the BJP said he'd insulted not just the PM and his late father but the country too. Kharge made the comment in response to a man in the crowd who was heard saying, "... Modi nahin jayega (will not go/lose power)."
Kharge hit back from the stage, "Modi ka baap bhi jayega (Even his father will have to go)," then repeated the line thrice. The alleged heckler, Santosh Kumar, was thrashed by Congress supporters and thrown out.
Then came a twist even while the BJP had already started fuming.
Outside the hall, Santosh Kumar said he was not a heckler. He claimed he was misunderstood and would "actually want Modi to go".
#WATCH | 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 A person present at the event said that PM Modi would not go anywhere, Kharge responded, "Modi ka baap bhi jayega."
— ANI (@ANI) October 25, 2026
What Wasn't Heard: 'Unless There's A Revolt...'
"I was saying that 'unless there is a revolt, Modi will not go'. But only a part of it was heard and was misunderstood," the not-a-heckler said after having been pushed out of the venue. Kharge was indeed saying the words "Modi will go to jail" -- alleging electoral fraud that's been the centre of major protests this month -- when Santosh Kumar's half-sentence rang in the hall. That birthed the misunderstanding, he said.
The exchange took place at an event marking the 139th birth anniversary of Shri Krishna Singh, Bihar's first chief minister. A ruckus broke out during Kharge's speech when the words "Modi kahin nahin jayega" were heard across the hall, prompting an angry comment from the Congress chief. The man who said those words was immediately surrounded by attendees who threw him to the ground and thrashed him before throwing him out.
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Santosh Kumar later said while leaving the venue, "Narendra Modi has done nothing for the country in 12 years as PM. The whole country is now rising against him in a massive public revolt." Photo: NDTV
BJP Says 'Uncouth', Congress Cites 'Idiom'
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacked Kharge as soon as the remark went viral. Union Home Minister led the attack with a post on X, saying Kharge had "torn apart all norms of decorum". "This is not the first time that the Congress party has used abusive language against Modi ji or his family. They have hurled insults at his revered mother, called him 'merchant of death', and mocked his poverty by calling him 'chaiwala'. Under Rahul Gandhi's leadership, the Congress party keeps crossing the limits of indecency every day," he said. Spokesperson Tuhin A Sinha called Kharge's comment "disgusting, petulant, uncouth".
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BJP chief Nitin Nabin, who is from Bihar where the episode unfolded, said in his post: "When the Opposition has no solid issues left to debate on the country's development, policies, and public welfare schemes, they resort to this kind of desperation and personal attacks." Union Minister Giriraj Singh, also from Bihar, asserted that PM Modi, who turned 76 in September, "will stay in power for at least another 30 years".
Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput later said, "Kharge ji only used an idiom. PM Modi has said much worse comments."