NDA netas condemn Kharge's ‘small state' remark on Bihar
Patna: The ruling parties in Bihar on Thursday criticised Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for referring to Bihar as a "small state", describing his remarks as offensive and dismissive.
Senior BJP leader and Union minister of state for home, Nityanand Rai, described the comment as "extremely unfortunate and insulting". Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief and former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha also criticised Kharge, saying he had exposed the "true mindset" of the Congress party.
Congress spokesperson Asit Nath Tiwari defended Kharge, saying that the veteran leader, hailing from southern India, may have faltered due to his limited command over Hindi.
Kharge made the comment while criticising PM Narendra Modi for attending an election rally in Madhubani on April 24, just two days after the Pahalgam terror attack. He said, "We demanded a special session of Parliament, but the PM chose to campaign in a small state like Bihar and gave it nothing special in the Budget."
Responding sharply, Nityanand Rai said the "13 crore people of Bihar cannot tolerate such an insult," adding that Kharge's statement was a "direct attack on the state's proud history, culture, and public consciousness."
Echoing similar sentiments, Union minister Chirag Paswan described the statement as "disrespectful" while Kushwaha called it reflective of "Congress's outdated mindset." "They have once again revealed that they don't understand Bihar," he said.
Rai reminded Kharge that Bihar is the land of Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan, who led the movement against the Emergency. "On the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, your words insult Bihar. The people will give a democratic response in the elections," he said.
He also questioned the silence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on the issue.
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