Modi Impersonation Controversy: BJP, Congress trade barbs over PM Modi mimicry at Rahul Gandhi’s Indore event | India News
NEW DELHI: BJP on Sunday criticised the Congress after stand-up comedian Pulkit Mani mimicked Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an event attended by party leader Rahul Gandhi in Madhya Pradesh, with Union ministers and other BJP leaders targeting the opposition party and Congress MP over the performance.The comedian performed the skit with the Rae Bareli MP during the latest edition of the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event in Indore on Saturday. A video of the performance was shared by the Congress on X.In the short act, Mani came on stage laughing and hugged Rahul. “My friend. How are you?” he said. The Congress leader replied, “I’m fine; how are you, Modi ji?” Mani responded, “Great harassment”, and continued laughing while repeatedly using the phrase “my friend”.Rahul then said, “Very nice to meet you,” and asked Mani to “tell me more”. The comedian continued laughing and hugging Gandhi before saying, “Maa ko kursi do, maa”, while pointing towards the audience.
BJP leaders hit out at Rahul Gandhi
Union minister Piyush Goyal reacted to the performance on X, calling Rahul “Asanskari naraz fufa (uncultured disgruntled uncle).”“The irony writes itself. The need to come on stage every now and then just to drag Prime Minister Modi ji’s name into cheap political theatre never fails to amaze me,” Goyal said, asking the former Congress president to “look in the mirror”.Union minister Kiren Rijiju also criticised Rahul, saying, “I hadn’t imagined that a party which was in power for nearly six decades would turn into such a circus that is busy entertaining their own shrunken supporters.”Rijiju said Indians were proud that Prime Minister Modi was the “most popular” elected leader in the world.“Congress party has become a party of comedians and Jokers! They are out forever…. RIP,” he said.“Do you feel absolutely no shame in mocking an elderly mother and the Prime Minister of India?” Rijiju asked Rahul, while posting a video of PM Modi in which the prime minister is seen asking for a chair for an elderly woman who had attended one of his programmes.BJP national general secretary Smriti Irani also reacted to the controversy, writing in Hindi on X, “Jab nash manuj per chata hai, pehle vivek mar jaata hai” (When doom looms over a person, it’s his conscience that dies first).BJP national secretary Sandeep Pathak called the mimicry act an expression of “desperation” and the “growing intellectual bankruptcy” of the Congress.“When you lose touch with India’s values, you lose touch with India itself. And that is precisely where the Congress has lost its way,” Pathak, a Rajya Sabha MP, said on X.
Congress leaders defend programme
Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel hit back at the BJP’s criticism, saying every person’s mother deserved respect and questioning why similar concerns were not raised when the mothers of Rahul and other leaders were allegedly insulted.“Everyone’s mother is a mother, not PM Modi’s mother alone. Why are their feelings not hurt when they insult Rahul Gandhi’s mother or other leaders’ mothers? This culture of insulting mothers was started by BJP-RSS and Mahamanav,” Baghel said.Congress MP Imraan Masood said the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme had “shattered eardrums” of BJP leaders.“Let the elections come. They will find out soon enough. ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ has shattered their eardrums. They see Rahul Gandhi in their dreams and wake up with a start,” Masood said in Ranchi.Congress leader TS Singh Deo said criticism and mimicry should not be objected to, but opposed the use of abusive language in public conversations.“I do not think it is acceptable to stoop to the level of abusive language in a public conversation. But beyond that, if you’re criticising someone in a normal way, even in a joking manner or with mimicry, no one should have any objection to it,” he said in Raipur.
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AICC general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir said the programme had received an overwhelming response and claimed that more than 200,000 young people had attended events under the initiative across India and Madhya Pradesh.Rahul Gandhi had addressed students at the Indore session on issues including education costs and employment opportunities.Congress leaders said the programme was focused on issues faced by young people and student welfare.
