BJP demands Congress to apologise over remarks against PM Modi
Kiren Rijiju said that slogans “calling for the Prime Minister’s grave to be dug” had been raised at a Congress rally a day earlier and demanded a formal apology from the party.
The Lok Sabha witnessed fresh confrontation on Monday as treasury bench members accused the Congress of making a controversial remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a public rally, triggering uproar in both Houses of Parliament.
Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said that slogans “calling for the Prime Minister’s grave to be dug” had been raised at a Congress rally a day earlier and demanded a formal apology from the party. “At a rally yesterday, calls were made by the Congress to dig the Prime Minister’s grave. This reflects a deeply unfortunate phase in our political discourse. The entire senior leadership of the Congress was present at that rally,” Rijiju said, seeking an apology in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
The remarks led to loud protests from members across the aisles, forcing speaker Om Birla to adjourn proceedings briefly. The disruption broke out as Rijiju attempted to speak immediately after obituary references were made to three former MPs. While BJP MPs repeatedly demanded an apology, Opposition members objected, raising counter-slogans in the House.
The BJP alleged that the slogan was raised during the ‘Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod’ rally held in the national capital on Sunday. The rally was attended by senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The event marked an escalation of the Congress’s campaign against the BJP over alleged vote theft and the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The issue also spilled over to the Rajya Sabha, where Leader of the House and Union health minister JP Nadda raised the matter soon after official papers were tabled. Questioning the Congress’s political conduct, Nadda demanded an apology from Kharge and Sonia Gandhi. “With deep anguish, I wish to inform the House that slogans such as ‘Modi teri kabr khudegi, aaj nahi toh kal khudegi’ were raised at the Congress rally yesterday. Such language reveals the Congress party’s mindset. It reflects a level of political degeneration that is deeply disturbing and deserving of strong condemnation,” he said.
In response, Opposition MPs countered by raising the issue of what they described as “foul language” used by Union home minister Amit Shah during a recent speech in the Lok Sabha. As proceedings resumed in the Lower House, Opposition members demanded an apology from Shah, leading to renewed sloganeering and forcing another adjournment of the House amid continuing uproar.
