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The political atmosphere in New Delhi has sharpened significantly following a series of disparaging remarks made by the Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, directed at Mallikarjun Kharge. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra led the Congress party's counter-attack on Wednesday, labelling the Chief Minister’s language "utterly shameful" and demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi clarify whether he condones such insults.

 

The row was ignited on Tuesday when Sarma suggested that the Congress president was "speaking like a mad man" due to his age. This outburst followed Kharge’s calls for central agencies to investigate allegations levelled against the Assam leader. In a strongly worded post on X, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra argued that such derogatory rhetoric against a senior statesman and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha is entirely unacceptable. She emphasised that Kharge stands as an enlightened representative of the Dalit community and marginalised sections of society, and argued that by insulting him, the BJP has effectively insulted millions of citizens across the country.

 

Rahul Gandhi similarly joined the fray, asserting that the attack on Kharge was an affront to the entire SC/ST community. He suggested that the Prime Minister's continued silence on the matter should not be viewed as a lack of awareness, but rather as "tacit consent." Gandhi contended that the Prime Minister is shirking his responsibility by failing to defend the dignity of Dalit leaders when they are subjected to vulgar personal attacks.

 

The Congress party further alleged that Sarma's "deplorable conduct" is reflective of a wider "anti-Dalit mindset" inherent within the BJP and the RSS. Gandhi pointed to historical grievances, claiming that the ruling party has a pattern of belittling Dalit figures —including Babasaheb Ambedkar — whenever they speak truth to power. He concluded by posing a direct challenge to the Prime Minister, insisting that his refusal to speak up confirms his support for the Chief Minister's divisive rhetoric.

 

Also read: Kharge backtracks: Didn’t mean to hurt Gujaratis