A single sharp retort from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Patna on Sunday has set off one of the fiercest political rows of the week. What began as a speech marking the birth anniversary of Bihar’s first chief minister turned, within minutes, into a shouting match in the hall and then a full blown war of words between the Congress and the BJP.
Kharge was speaking at Bapu Sabhagar in Patna to mark the 139th birth anniversary of Shri Krishna Singh, popularly known as Sri Babu, when the moment unfolded. As he spoke about alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, a man in the audience shouted back that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not go anywhere.
Kharge shot back at once. “Modi ka baap bhi jayega,” he said, a remark that translates roughly as even Modi’s father will have to go. Reports from the event said he repeated the line, and that Congress workers then confronted the man who had interrupted the speech. Video clips of the exchange spread quickly on social media through the afternoon, and by evening the remark had become the day’s most talked about political flashpoint.
What happened in Patna
The event itself was meant to be a tribute to Shri Krishna Singh, Bihar’s first chief minister. Kharge used the platform to attack the BJP and the RSS, and to press the Congress campaign against the ongoing revision of voter lists.
He called the protests against the Special Intensive Revision a second war of independence, demanded an immediate halt to the exercise, and said elections should be held using ballot papers to restore public confidence.
He also demanded the annulment of assembly elections held over the past two years, alleging that governments in
states including West Bengal, Haryana, Bihar and Maharashtra had been formed through vote theft.
BJP’s sharp counterattack
Union Home Minister Amit Shah led the BJP response. In a post on X, he said Kharge had torn apart all norms of decorum by making an indecent remark about Modi’s father in Patna. He added that this was not the first time the Congress had used abusive language against Modi or his family, recalling past attacks on his mother, the merchant of death jibe, and the chaiwala taunt.
Shah argued that 12 years of repeated electoral defeats had left the Congress frustrated and without policies or issues, leaving only what he called the politics of slander. He also claimed the Congress was now losing its base even among its own workers.
BJP president Nitin Nabin was equally blunt. He said the indecent and unparliamentary language used in Patna reflected the ideological bankruptcy of the Congress, and that the people of the country were watching this politics closely and would give it a befitting reply in due time. A BJP statement went further, saying Kharge was using language associated with thugs and hooligans and that the Congress seemed to function more like a mafia gang than a political party. In Bihar, state BJP president Sanjay Saraogi described the remarks as unfortunate.
Why the remark exploded
Political rows over language are hardly new, but this one touched a nerve for two reasons. First, the remark was aimed not just at the prime minister but at his late father, a line the BJP has repeatedly described as out of bounds. Second, it came on a day when the battle over voter lists is already running hot, with the Congress preparing a fresh round of protests in Delhi.
What happens next
Neither side is likely to let the row die quickly. The BJP will keep the focus on the language used in Patna, using it to question the Congress’s tone and leadership. The Congress, for its part, will try to steer the conversation back to voter lists, ballot papers and the Election Commission, the issues Kharge was raising before the interruption.
The speech also fits into a larger Congress calendar. The party is planning a symbolic public trial on October 30 and a mega rally in Delhi on November 1 to press its demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Rahul Gandhi is expected to return from abroad on Sunday, and the party is set to finalise its protest strategy at a meeting on Monday.
FAQs
What did Mallikarjun Kharge say in Patna?
During a speech on October 25, 2026, Kharge responded to an audience member who said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not go anywhere by saying, “Modi ka baap bhi jayega.”
Where and why was Kharge speaking?
He was addressing an event at Bapu Sabhagar in Patna to mark the 139th birth anniversary of Bihar’s first chief minister, Shri Krishna Singh.
How did the BJP react?
Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president Nitin Nabin condemned the remark as indecent and unparliamentary, with the party describing it as a sign of the Congress’s ideological bankruptcy.
What else did Kharge demand in his speech?
He demanded an immediate halt to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, the use of ballot papers in future elections, and the annulment of assembly polls held over the past two years.
What is the Congress planning next?
The party plans a symbolic public trial on October 30 and a mega rally in Delhi on November 1 over its campaign against alleged electoral irregularities.
The Patna row is a reminder of how quickly a single line can overtake a whole speech. Kharge went to Patna to talk about voter lists and the Constitution. He left the stage with the country talking about something else entirely.
