Congress president and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge launched a scathing attack on BJP leaders for taking dip at holy Sangam at UP's Prayagraj during Maha Kumbh 2025 while addressing the 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan Rally' in Madhya Pradesh's Mhow.
"Arre bhai, Ganga mein dubki lene se garibi dur hoti hai kya? (By taking a dip in Ganga, will poverty be eradicated? Do you get food by...)" he asked the gathering.
Soon realising his mistake, the Congress president apologised for his words that may have caused hurt to the religious sentiments of the people present at the rally.
(Counter: 1:24:09)
"I did not want to hurt anyone's religious sentiments. If anybody got hurt, then I apologise to them. But tell me if a kid is dying of hunger, he can't get admission in school, laborers aren't getting paid for their labor... in such situations, they (BJP leaders) are spending thousands and taking a competitive dip," he said.
Taking a jibe at BJP leaders, Kharge said, "Till the time they get a good picture out of it, they keep taking a dip."
Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, he said, "Modi-Shah together have done so much sin that they can't go to heaven in 100 lives. They will go to hell due to people's curses."
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who spoke before Kharge, alleged that Modi government's policies are anti-people. "Don't forget that the more Adani and Ambani grow, the more money these billionaires get, the fewer jobs your children will get. Demonetisation and GST are weapons to eliminate India's poor population. Common people pay the same amount of GST as Adani-Ambani pays... Narendra Modi waived off Rs 16 lakh crore of billionaires' loans. But were the debts of farmers, laborers, and students waived off? You pay GST and Adani and Ambani sell Chinese goods in India. People in China get employment and those jobs are stolen from your children's hands," he said.
