BJP plans protests across India over Kharge's Patna remark about Modi's late father
The ruling party will hold demonstrations at state headquarters on Monday after the Congress president's comment at a Patna event.
India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will hold protests across the country on Monday, October 26, against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over remarks he made about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, The Hindu and NDTV reported.
Mr Kharge made the comments in Patna, the capital of Bihar, on Sunday. The Hindu reported that he was speaking at a state-level event at Bapu Sabhagar marking the 139th birth anniversary of Krishna Singh, Bihar's first chief minister.
According to The Hindu, the remarks referred to Mr Modi's late father. The paper reported the comment as "Modi ka baap bhi jayega", which it translated as "even Modi's father will go". Neither outlet gave the full context of the remark.
In a statement quoted by The Hindu, the BJP said it would "stage strong demonstrations tomorrow (Monday) across all state headquarters in the country" in protest against what it called "insulting, indecent, and offensive remarks" by the Congress leader. NDTV reported that the party described the comments as highly objectionable and an attack on the dignity of the Prime Minister's family.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Mr Kharge had "torn apart all norms of decorum", The Hindu reported.
The paper said senior BJP leaders accused the Congress, the main opposition party, of turning more and more to personal attacks on Mr Modi and his family under Rahul Gandhi's leadership.
Neither report included a response from Mr Kharge or the Congress party.
The BJP's Bihar unit will also hold a protest march and burn an effigy of Mr Kharge, The Hindu reported. The march is due to start from the party's headquarters in Patna.
Sources: NDTV, BJP To Launch Nationwide Protests Against Mallikarjun Kharge Over Remarks On PM Modi; The Hindu, BJP to hold nationwide protest on October 26 against Kharge’s remark on Modi.
