According to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have “committed so many sins that they will not go to heaven in 100 lives.” His statement was made on Monday. At the Congress’s “Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan” rally in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Kharge made the remark in direct response to Mr. Shah’s statement on Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar during the most recent session of Parliament.
Mr. Kharge stated, “Amit Shah stated that if you recite the name of God as many times as you recite the name of Ambedkar, you will be granted seven lives in heaven.” This statement was made in the presence of a blue hue that complemented the traditional colors of the Congress at the rally held at the birthplace of the primary architect of the Constitution. Modi ji and Shah have committed an inordinate number of sins that they will not be able to enter paradise in even seven lives, let alone 100. They will be condemned to torment as a consequence of the people’s curse. He urged the populace to fight for their survival.
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, also attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), asserting that Dalits, tribals, backward classes, and the impoverished from the general category are being treated as slaves.
“The poor possessed no rights prior to the establishment of the Constitution and Independence.” Rights were exclusively granted to monarchs. That changed with the nation’s independence. Land and rights were granted to you. The RSS and the BJP desire an India that existed prior to Independence. Mr. Gandhi advised, “Attempt to comprehend that you are being enslaved once more.” He was carrying a tiny copy of the Constitution, which he had been carrying throughout the country since prior to the Lok Sabha election, and he claimed that the BJP intended to amend the Constitution.
Mr. Gandhi stated that the impoverished, Dalits, tribals, and backward classes of the nation would have nothing left when the Constitution is abolished. “And this is their objective,” he stated.
Mr. Kharge also made a dig at the BJP by questioning whether taking a dip in the Ganga river would eradicate poverty. He also claimed that the governing party leaders are competing to take a dip in front of the camera. The remarks were made on the same day that Mr. Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath participated in a plunge in the Ganga in Prayagraj during the ongoing Maha Kumbh.
“Is poverty eradicated by bathing in the Ganga?” Is your appetite satisfied? I am hesitant to confront anyone’s aastha (faith). “I regret any discomfort that may have been caused,” Mr. Kharge stated.
The Mhow rally was the final event of the initial segment of the Congress’s ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan’ campaign, which was initiated in response to Mr. Shah’s remarks in Parliament, which had sparked controversy. On January 21, the inaugural rally of the campaign was conducted in Belgavi, Karnataka. The campaign will conclude on January 26, 2026, after a series of phases that will involve the organization of a variety of programs throughout the nation.
The campaign is also a component of the party’s effort to reinforce the social justice narrative and to confront the BJP regarding Ambedkar and the Constitution. This was evident at the Mhow rally, where the stage was dominated by large portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar, and the Constitution, while party leaders’ images were relegated to the margins in a smaller size.
The Mhow rally was also characterized by a combination of blue flags and traditional Congress colors, which suggests that a significant number of Ambedkar’s supporters were present.
Mr. Gandhi and Mr. Kharge arrived at the Ambedkar birthplace memorial to offer their respects after the rally. The crowd echoed chants of Jai Bhim and other slogans. The two blue turbans were also offered by a group of supporters, who graciously accepted them but did not wear them.
Swaran Kaur, the sister of the founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Kanshi Ram, encountered Mr. Gandhi and Mr. Kharge on the stage. She conversed with the former for an extended period.
Mr. Gandhi also criticized RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at the rally, stating, “Mohan Bhagwat insulted the Constitution a few days ago.” He asserts that the independence that the country achieved was not genuine and that Modi ji granted us freedom. Mr. Bhagwat explicitly insulted and attacked Ambedkar’s efforts, blood, and sweat.
Mr. Gandhi referred to the Congress workers as “lions” and urged them to safeguard the Constitution at all costs if they observed it being “insulted by BJP and RSS members.”
Mr. Kharge’s comments regarding BJP leaders’ participation in the Ganga elicited a strong response from the BJP. Party spokesperson Sambit Patra characterized the remarks as “anti-Sanatan” and demanded an apology from Mr. Gandhi and Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
It is disheartening to hear such disparaging remarks about Sanatan. In New Delhi, he stated, “Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should apologize to the entire country and every individual who believes in Sanatan for making such comments.”