Fresh political tensions have flared between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress after a comedian’s performance at Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore drew immense flak from BJP leaders. 

A video from the event staged on September 19 shows stand-comedian Pulkit Mani mimicking Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s mannerisms and style of speaking to foreign leaders. Gandhi was seen laughing during the performance.

Both the BJP, as well as the Congress accounts shared the video on social media, trading barbs at each other. The BJP alleged that the act also mocked an interaction between PM Modi and an elderly woman at one of his rallies. The party’s national account said on ‘X’ that while PM Modi had displayed love and affection towards the elderly women, Gandhi had laughed when she was mocked at his event. 

Details of the Indore event

During the ‘Chhatron Ki Goong’ event in Indore, comedian Pulkit Mani assumed the charge of the stage for a short act centred on an impersonation of PM Modi.

Mani mimicked the PM’s mannerisms and his style of addressing foreign leaders, repeatedly using the phrase ‘My Friend.’ The performance also referred to PM Modi’s mother and other recent public interactions involving the nation’s top political leader. 

A portion of the act referred to a video from a rally attended by PM Modi, in which he had asked for a chair to be brought for an elderly woman, a participant of the event. BJP leaders alleged that the portrayal crossed a line by making the elderly women and PM Modi’s late mother the subject of mockery. 

BJP leaders tear into Gandhi

Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi strongly condemned Gandhi’s act over the episode. He wrote on ‘X,’ “Shameful and disgusting!,” alleging that the event had been used to mock and insult the Prime Minister’s late mother. He called the episode a lack of basic human empathy and political culture. 

Uttarakhand Chief Minister (CM) Pushkar Singh Dhami also slammed the Congress leader, saying that ‘a mother is not a subject of politics.’ He added that political opponents could engage criticism but objected to what he called ‘indecent remarks’ concerning the Prime Minister’s late mother. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shameful and disgusting! Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party have stooped to an absolute nadir of moral bankruptcy. Weaponising a student interaction to mock and insult the late mother of PM Shri <a href="https://x.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> ji reveals a shocking lack of basic human empathy and political… <a href="https://t.co/hkyliBuYMy">https://t.co/hkyliBuYMy</a></p>&mdash; Pralhad Joshi (@JoshiPralhad) <a href="https://x.com/JoshiPralhad/status/2101361623395082574?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan also chipped in, targeting Gandhi and alleging that he had shared the stage with performers who mocked an elderly woman. Kesavan said Gandhi was seen laughing during the performance and termed the episode ‘an example of what he called an uncouth culture.’