Maharashtra: ‘Those Who Defame Congress Leaders Should Not Lecture On Culture And Values,’ Says Harshwardhan Sapkal; Slams BJP Over Kharge Row

Mumbai, October 26, 2026: BJP leaders have launched an uproar over a single word used by Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge. They seem to have forgotten the language used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah against Congress leaders. From Modi and Shah to leaders at the local level, no one in the BJP leaves any opportunity to malign the character of opposition leaders. Those who indulge in character assassination should not presume to lecture the Congress on culture and values, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Harshwardhan Sapkal said in response.

Speaking on the issue, the Congress state president said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had referred to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi as the "Congress widow" at a public rally and used extremely derogatory language against Rahul Gandhi.

He also called Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury 'Shurpanakha' in the Rajya Sabha. Modi had used expressions such as "Pachas Crore Ki Girlfriend" and "Didi O Didi" to refer to Mamata Banerjee.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had also made remarks in Parliament that sought to malign the reputations of former prime ministers Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, Sapkal said.

When a purported purification ritual was conducted at a venue in Uttarakhand after Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a public meeting there, the BJP had remained conspicuously silent, he said.

Sapkal Accuses BJP Of Double Standards

"Before questioning someone else's culture, one should examine one's own. A party whose top leader publicly uses extremely derogatory language and makes insulting remarks about women should not lecture the Congress. The BJP's entire ecosystem has swung into action over a single word used by Kharge. This is a case of one rule for oneself and another for others," Sapkal said.

The BJP has been in power for the past 13 years, but its government has failed on all fronts, he alleged. With nothing to tell the public about its achievements, the BJP was trying to manufacture an issue, he said.

"The names of ministers in the Modi government have appeared in the extremely disturbing and sordid Epstein files, leaving them with no face to show. Rahul Gandhi has made life extremely difficult for Modi, Shah and the BJP. The BJP is rattled and is trying to make an issue out of anything. But the people are discerning," Sapkal said.

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