Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Congress, demanding a public apology from Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge after controversial slogans were allegedly raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Congress’s “vote chori” rally in Delhi.
Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, Rijiju said the incident was deeply disturbing, especially as it occurred in the presence of the Congress’s top leadership, including Rahul Gandhi, Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. His remarks immediately triggered uproar in the House, forcing Speaker Om Birla to adjourn proceedings amid noisy protests.
“We are political rivals, not enemies,” Rijiju said, recalling an earlier instance when a BJP MP had made an objectionable remark and was promptly asked by the Prime Minister to apologise. “Yesterday, slogans were raised calling for the Prime Minister’s grave to be dug. This is not just irresponsible, it is shameful,” he added.
Rijiju stressed that Prime Minister Modi represents the entire nation on the global stage and said such slogans demean democratic politics. He urged the Congress leadership to take moral responsibility and issue an immediate apology for what he described as an unacceptable incident.
The controversy quickly spilled over into the Rajya Sabha, where BJP president and Union Minister JP Nadda led the government’s charge against the Congress. Echoing Rijiju’s demand, Nadda criticised the opposition party for failing to restrain its workers and insisted that its senior leaders apologise without delay. The uproar eventually led to the adjournment of the Upper House as well.
The political storm intensified after a video from the rally went viral on social media, showing some Congress workers allegedly raising incendiary slogans against the Prime Minister. One of the women seen in the video, identified as Manju Lata Meena, defended the slogan and refused to apologise, saying she stood by her words and instead blamed the Prime Minister for the country’s situation.
