Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge came under sharp criticism from the BJP after he mispronounced the names of President Droupadi Murmu and former President Ram Nath Kovind during a public address in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
While speaking at the Science Ground in Raipur, Kharge mistakenly referred to President Murmu as “Murma ji.” He quickly corrected himself, saying “Murmu.” However, within moments, he committed another verbal slip, referring to former President Ram Nath Kovind as “Covid.” These remarks were made during Kharge's speech on environmental issues, where he accused the BJP and its industrialist allies of grabbing forest land in Chhattisgarh.
“Our jal, jungle and zameen need to be protected, and hence we must stay united,” Kharge said. “They (BJP) say we made (Droupadi) Murma President, (Ram Nath) Covid (Kovind) President — but why? To loot our resources, our forest, water, and land. Today, people like Adani and Ambani are occupying them,” he alleged.
BJP HITS BACK, CALLS REMARKS OFFENSIVE
Reacting strongly, the BJP accused Kharge of insulting the highest constitutional offices and displaying what it called the Congress's “anti-women, anti-Dalit, and anti-tribal mindset.” BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said, “The Congress president used derogatory words for President Droupadi Murmu. The entire tribal community is condemning this. He even referred to former President Ram Nath Kovind as ‘Covid.’”
Another BJP leader, Shehzad Poonawalla, claimed that the remarks revealed the Congress’s alleged deep-rooted prejudice against Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). “Calling President Murmu ‘Murma ji’ and Kovind ji ‘Covid ji’, then alleging they were used for land grabbing — this shows the hatred Congress harbours towards SC and ST communities,” Poonawalla said. “This mindset is not new. Congress has a history of disrespecting constitutional posts — be it the Chief Justice, Prime Minister, or the President.”
FLASHBACK TO 'RASHTRAPATNI' CONTROVERSY
This isn’t the first instance of a Congress leader drawing flak over references to President Murmu. In 2022, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury triggered a storm after referring to the President as 'Rashtrapatni” during a media interaction.
His remark had led to a political uproar, especially in Parliament, with BJP leaders demanding an apology. Chowdhury later clarified that it was a slip of tongue and attributed it to his limited fluency in Hindi. “My mother tongue is Bengali and I am not well-versed with Hindi,” he had said, stressing that he had the utmost respect for the President. The BJP has used these repeated instances to accuse the Congress of showing consistent disrespect towards constitutional authorities, especially those from marginalised communities.
Also Read: Kharge slams Modi govt over China, alleges trade, security lapse
Follow us
