Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his participation in a ‘Bhajan clubbing’ event in the national capital, alleging that the Prime Minister had time for such events but not to answer “serious questions”.
The BJP hit back at Kharge, accusing the Congress leader of mocking and insulting India’s civilisational heritage of “bhajan” and “bhakti”.
What Priyank Kharge Said
Questioning PM Modi’s participation in the event, Kharge said the Prime Minister had time for ‘Bhajan clubbing’ but was silent on questions concerning the Election Commission.
PM @narendramodi has time for “Bhajan Clubbing”, but no time to answer serious questions about the clubbing of democracy through the Election Commission.
For 13 years, there has been a familiar pattern: when difficult questions confront the government, the Prime Minister is… https://t.co/eAHAu158dx
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) September 26, 2026
“PM @narendramodi has time for ‘Bhajan Clubbing’, but no time to answer serious questions about the clubbing of democracy through the Election Commission,” he posted on X.
Kharge further alleged that PM Modi had been avoiding questions for 13 years.
“For 13 years, there has been a familiar pattern: when difficult questions confront the government, the Prime Minister is conspicuously absent from answering them. Celebrations get his presence. Accountability gets his silence,” the Karnataka home minister added.
BJP Hits Back At Congress Leader
Responding to Kharge, BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan accused the Congress leader of mocking and insulting India’s heritage of “bhajan” and “bhakti”.
“Congress once again mocks and insults Bharat’s remarkable civilisational heritage of Bhajan and Bhakti. What better can you expect of Junior Kharge, who is only conversant with singing praises of the self-serving Congress first family,” Kesavan wrote while sharing a screenshot of Kharge’s X post.
Kesavan also asked Kharge to question Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over the Congress party’s electoral losses in “3 Lok Sabha elections and suffering nearly 100 Assembly drubbings”.
“Does Junior Kharge have even an iota of courage to talk about clubbing accountability of Rahul Gandhi with Congress party’s dismal electoral failures, because under Rahul Gandhi’s dismal leadership, the Congress party has lost 3 consecutive Lok Sabha elections and suffered nearly 100 Assembly drubbings,” the BJP spokesperson said.
Opposition’s Row With Election Commission
The exchange comes amid an ongoing Opposition campaign against the Election Commission.
The Opposition has been demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation following an Indian Express investigation. The report said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record at least 14 times over the last 10 months to decisions and orders they said were issued without their knowledge.
According to the report, the objections included changes to statutory voter registration Form 6 and the centralisation of control over the electoral roll database.
Congress workers have staged demonstrations across several states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Manipur, over the functioning of the Election Commission and its handling of the SIR exercise.
Other Opposition parties have also announced protests.
The Election Commission, however, has maintained that its official orders, decisions and administrative directions have full legal sanction. It has also said that differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberations within any institution.
What Is ‘Bhajan Clubbing’?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday participated in a ‘Bhajan clubbing’ event, a modern trend in which youngsters gather in concert-like settings to sing, clap and dance to Hindu devotional songs.
The event was organised opposite the BJP national headquarters in Delhi on the 110th birth anniversary of RSS ideologue Deendayal Upadhyay.
Held in a club-like atmosphere without alcohol, ‘Bhajan clubbing’ has been gaining popularity in several Indian cities and abroad.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
