- Rahul Gandhi faced strong BJP criticism for mocking PM Narendra Modi at Indore event
- BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of insulting women by mocking PM Modi's late mother
- BJP linked Rahul Gandhi's antics to Congress's failure with youth and elections
BJP leaders have strongly criticised Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over his comments aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Opposition party's 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' event in Indore on Saturday.
Rahul Gandhi along with standup comic Pulkit Mani alluded to PM Modi as they shared a few lines and gestures on stage that many pointed out unmistakably mocked the prime minister.
BJP national spokesperson CR Kesavan in a video statement this morning said Rahul Gandhi had insulted women by "mocking a frail mother."
"No decent, right-thinking person would have found these foul-mouthed, third-rate antics amusing but Rahul Gandhi was seen laughing aloud on the stage he was sharing with them. Such uncouth culture endorsed by Rahul Gandhi is the reason why he and the Congress have failed to resonate with the youth," Kesavan said.
He said even the Congress's own leader Shashi Tharoor has admitted the party's failure on this front. "Rahul Gandhi's politics of bitter hate is the reason why the Congress party and its student wing NSUI were chased away from Delhi University," he said, referring to the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) election.
ABVP, the student wing of the BJP's ideological mentor RSS, took a majority of the DUSU posts.
"While Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, in a thoughtful gesture, ensured a chair for an aged elder, in sharp contrast Rahul Gandhi was seen yesterday revelling when such elders were being shamelessly disrespected. Rahul Gandhi, who supports clowns and such crude circus shows, cannot be taken seriously as a political leader," the BJP spokesperson said.
Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi in a post on X said, "Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party have stooped to an absolute nadir of moral bankruptcy. Weaponising a student interaction to mock and insult the late mother of PM Modi ji reveals a shocking lack of basic human empathy and political culture."
Others who slammed Rahul Gandhi included Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who said the Congress leader's language was deteriorating "from bad to worse".
He described the remarks as a "stain on the dignity of Indian politics" and said such language was not representative of India, adding people were closely observing the words, values and mindset of political leaders and that the Congress had been repeatedly rejected by voters.
Rahul Gandhi, criticising the Modi government's diplomatic approach in a show with Pulkit Mani, had played a mimicry on the prime minister's voice.
"You aren't just visiting a friend's house. In this role, the prime minister of India doesn't engage in mere friendship. They have no interest in friendship; their job is to protect the country," Rahul Gandhi said.
