Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday said party president Mallikarjun Kharge had made a mistake with his controversial remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stressing that political leaders should maintain civil language regardless of their party affiliations. Chavan said Kharge’s comment was uncalled for and suggested that he should clarify his statement. However, he also criticised leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), arguing that inappropriate remarks had been made by both sides during political exchanges.

The controversy erupted on Sunday when Kharge was addressing an event in Patna to mark the 139th birth anniversary of Bihar’s first chief minister, Shri Krishna Singh. During his speech, the Congress president alleged that those responsible for irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls would be sent to jail if his party came to power. An audience member responded by saying that Modi would not leave office as long as there was no rebellion. Kharge retorted, “Modi ka baap bhi jayega,” triggering a political row and sharp reactions from the BJP.

Speaking to reporters in Godhra, Chavan said civil language should not be abandoned by political leaders. He said Kharge, a senior leader, should provide an explanation if his remarks were made inadvertently. Chavan also argued that the controversy should not be viewed in isolation, pointing to earlier statements by BJP leaders about Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. He maintained that both parties had contributed to the deterioration of political discourse and said leaders should take responsibility for their words rather than allowing personal attacks to dominate public debate.

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Chavan specifically referred to remarks attributed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah about Rahul Gandhi and comments made by Prime Minister Modi concerning Sonia Gandhi. He said such statements were inappropriate and stressed that criticism of political opponents should not cross the limits of civility. “Both sides are at fault here,” Chavan said, according to the report. He added that political opponents should not regard each other as sworn enemies, even when they strongly disagree on policies and ideology. Chavan recalled that during his time as a Member of Parliament, leaders from rival parties could engage in heated debates inside Parliament while maintaining cordial relations outside the House.

The former Maharashtra chief minister said the nature of political engagement had changed, with hostility increasingly replacing personal courtesy between rival leaders. He recalled parliamentary interactions with leaders such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sushma Swaraj and Jaswant Singh, saying intense political disagreements had not prevented them from maintaining cordial relationships outside formal proceedings. Chavan suggested that the present political atmosphere had become more bitter, making it harder for leaders to separate ideological disagreements from personal animosity. His comments came amid the continuing political confrontation between the Congress and the BJP over the remarks made in Patna.

Chavan also criticised the Union government’s economic and foreign policies, alleging that they were failing to address major national challenges. He claimed that China had encroached on Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh and questioned the Prime Minister’s response. Chavan also backed Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of Modi, alleging that the Prime Minister was operating under pressure. These were Chavan’s political allegations, and the report did not independently establish them. He said the Congress wanted to replace the government because it believed the Centre’s policies were harming farmers and small businesses.

Kharge’s remark has drawn criticism from BJP leaders, including Amit Shah, who accused the Congress president of crossing the limits of political decorum. Meanwhile, Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge defended his father’s statement, arguing that it was a retort to a remark from the audience and accusing the BJP of applying different standards to its own leaders and the opposition. The exchange has renewed debate over the language used by political leaders and the standards of public conduct expected from those holding senior positions. Chavan’s intervention added a voice from within the Congress camp calling for restraint while also insisting that criticism of political rhetoric should be applied consistently across party lines.

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