Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra launched a scathing counterattack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his ‘katta’ (gun) jibe, accusing him of distorting facts and undermining Bihar’s leadership. Speaking in Vaishali, Kharge challenged Modi’s claim that the RJD had forcibly seized the chief ministerial post from Congress, asking pointedly, “Was Modi ji present when Tejashwi Yadav was announced as the INDIA bloc’s CM face?” He dismissed the allegation as baseless political rhetoric aimed at sowing discord within the opposition alliance.

Kharge escalated his offensive, predicting that the BJP would discard Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar post-election “like a fly from milk.” He mocked the NDA’s manifesto launch with Nitish as a 36-second affair—shorter than instant coffee—claiming it exposed the alliance’s disdain for the JD(U) leader. “Nitish ji has been hijacked by the BJP until the polls; afterward, they’ll discard him,” Kharge declared, accusing Nitish of betraying the socialist legacy of Jayaprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia, and Karpoori Thakur by aligning with a party rooted in ‘Manu Smriti’ ideology.

In separate rallies in Saharsa and Lakhisarai, Priyanka Gandhi ridiculed Modi’s habit of labeling opposition criticism as insults to the nation. She proposed a satirical ‘Apmaan Mantralaya’ (Ministry of Insult) to catalog every perceived slight against the PM or country, joking that daily attacks on her family alone could “fill an entire library.” She accused Modi of deflecting from pressing issues like unemployment and poverty through personal vilification.

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The Congress leaders framed Modi’s remarks as desperate attempts to fracture the INDIA bloc ahead of Bihar’s assembly elections. Kharge alleged the BJP showed no genuine concern for Dalits, OBCs, EBCs, or women, while Priyanka urged voters to focus on livelihood struggles rather than divisive rhetoric. Their coordinated rebuttal signals an aggressive opposition campaign to counter the NDA’s narrative.

As Bihar’s political temperature rises, the ‘katta’ controversy has sharpened battle lines. With both sides trading barbs over alliances and legacies, the election discourse risks descending into personal acrimony, overshadowing substantive policy debates on development and governance.

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