Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has once again been engulfed in controversies. During a public meeting in Bihar, Kharge incorrectly pronounced the name of President Draupadi Murmu and called former President Ram Nath Kovind’s name as “Kovid”. After this incident, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made serious allegations against the Congress of insulting the leaders of the Dalit community. The BJP described it as part of the “anti -Dalit” mentality of the Congress.
BJP spokesperson Shahzad Poonawala termed Kharge’s statement as “condemnable”, saying that it reflects the insensitivity of the Congress towards respected leaders like President Murmu and former President Kovind. He wrote on social media, “The history of the Congress has been to insult Dalit leaders.” Another BJP leader CR Keswan also criticized the Congress on the issue and called it a planned insult. He also referred to the incident of Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary calling President Murmu a “President” in 2022, which the BJP still considered abusive to the Dalit community.
Kharge also targeted the NDA government of Bihar in his speech. He questioned the law and order situation in the state, citing the murder in suspicion of witchcraft in Purnia. He said that crimes are increasing in Bihar and the government has failed to control it. However, the BJP, linking these statements of Kharge to the wrong pronunciation of his name, described it as an attempt to hide his mistake.
This dispute has come to the fore at a time when rhetoric among political parties in the country is intensifying. The BJP has tried to capitalize on this issue, so that the Congress can be shown insensitive to the Dalit community. On the other hand, the Congress has not yet issued any official statement on the issue. This incident has once again created a stir in political corridors and it is likely to be discussed further in the coming days.
