New Delhi – A fresh political controversy erupted on Tuesday after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s comments — allegedly belittling President Droupadi Murmu and former President Ram Nath Kovind — drew strong backlash from BJP leaders. Accusing the Congress of being “anti-women,” “anti-Dalit,” and “anti-tribal,” the BJP has demanded an apology from Kharge.
Senior BJP leader and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda criticised Kharge for mispronouncing President Murmu’s name and questioned the intent behind his remarks.
“Kharge ji is a senior leader, yet he couldn’t pronounce the President’s name correctly. What message does this send? Is this how the Congress respects a tribal woman who has risen to the highest constitutional position in the country?” Munda told IANS.
He further alleged that the Congress never appointed a tribal leader to the presidency during its tenure and had even opposed Murmu’s candidacy when she was nominated.
“Now they accuse her of being made President to loot tribal lands — that’s not only untrue, it’s deeply offensive,” he said, calling it a “deliberate attempt to undermine a proud tribal identity.”
BJP leaders said Kharge’s remarks have hurt the sentiments of millions of tribal citizens across India and called on the Congress leader to issue a public apology.
Echoing the criticism, Atul Bhatalkar, BJP MLA from Maharashtra, also condemned Kharge’s statements.
“This isn’t the first time the Congress has insulted President Murmu. When Prime Minister Modi nominated a tribal woman to the presidency, it was a historic moment. But Congress couldn’t accept it. Earlier, they made offensive comments about her skin tone, and now Kharge himself has crossed all limits,” Bhatalkar said.
He added, “This reflects the true mindset of the Congress — anti-women, anti-Dalit, and anti-tribal. Kharge must apologise to President Murmu and to the country. That is our clear and firm demand.”
As of now, the Congress party has not issued any response to the BJP’s demand for an apology.
With inputs from IANS