A fresh political controversy has erupted between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress after comedian Pulkit Mani impersonated Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event in Indore.
The BJP criticised Rahul Gandhi after a video from the September 19 event circulated online. The party alleged that the performance mocked an interaction involving Modi and an elderly woman, while Gandhi was seen laughing during the act.
The BJP’s national account on X accused Gandhi of mocking the elderly woman and contrasted the incident with what it described as Modi’s respectful interaction with her.
What happened at Rahul Gandhi’s event?
During the student-focused ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme in Indore, stand-up comedian Pulkit Mani performed a short act involving an impersonation of Modi.
According to reports, Mani mimicked Modi’s mannerisms and his style of speaking to foreign leaders. The act also included references to the Prime Minister’s foreign policy, his mother and a coin trick involving children.
At one point, Mani repeatedly used the phrase “my friend” while imitating Modi’s interactions with foreign leaders.
“My friend, how are you?” Mani said during the act, after which Rahul Gandhi responded, “I’m fine, how are you, Modi ji?”
The performance also referred to the Galgotias controversy during the AI Summit earlier in the week before moving to the remarks involving Modi’s mother, according to the report supplied.
BJP leaders condemn the episode
The BJP strongly criticised the performance and Rahul Gandhi’s presence on stage.
BJP national spokesperson CR Kesavan said Gandhi had been seen laughing during the performance and accused him of endorsing what he described as inappropriate remarks. NDTV also reported that Kesavan criticised the act as an attack involving a “frail mother.”
Newly appointed Education Minister Prahlad Joshi also criticised Gandhi on X, describing the episode as “shameful and disgusting” and alleging that the performance insulted Modi’s late mother.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami similarly said that a mother should not be brought into political disagreements. He argued that political opponents can criticise one another but objected to remarks concerning Modi’s late mother.
BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan also questioned Gandhi’s decision to share the stage with people who, according to him, made remarks targeting women and an elderly person.
Political row intensifies
The controversy comes amid an already heated political exchange surrounding Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme in Indore.
The event was organised as part of Gandhi’s student outreach campaign, which has focused on issues including education, recruitment and unemployment. Gandhi also used the Indore programme to question what he described as the “system” governing the country and its approach to students.
The latest dispute over the comedian’s performance has added another political flashpoint between the BJP and Congress, with the two sides offering sharply different interpretations of the episode.
