Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, at a press conference on Tuesday, called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “terrorist”. When a reporter asked for context behind the assessment, the Congress chief clarified that what he meant is that “PM Modi is terrorising people and political parties”, adding he never called the Prime Minister a terrorist.
The condemnation from the BJP was swift and sharp, calling the Congress an “Urban Naxal Party”.
Kharge was questioning the AIADMK’s choice of BJP as an alliance partner for the Tamil Nadu polls when he used the word terrorist for the PM.
“How these AIADMK people, who themselves put the photo of Annadurai, how can they join Modi? He is a terrorist. His party won’t believe in equality and justice. These people are joining with them; it means they are weakening democracy, they are weakening the philosophy of Annadurai, Kamaraj, Periyar, Kaliagnar, Baba Saheb Ambedkar,” M Kharge said.
#WATCH | Chennai, Tamil Nadu | Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge says, “How these AIADMK people, who themselves put the photo of Annadurai, how can they join Modi? He is a terrorist. His party won’t believe in equality and justice. These people are joining with them; it means… pic.twitter.com/znLvE7hutP
— ANI (@ANI) April 21, 2026
“The Congress-DMK alliance will continue to deliver welfare, inclusive growth, quality, education, accessible healthcare,” he underlined.
The Congress leader’s comments came two days after PM Modi, in an address to the nation, accused the Congress and other opposition parties of committing “foeticide” for defeating a bill on women’s reservation in Parliament and state assemblies.
“Can you please put the statement in a context,” M Kharge was asked at the same press conference.
“No, no,” Kharge began clarifying his statement.
“He (PM Modi) is terrorising people and political parties. I never said he is a terrorist…What I mean, I want to clarify, is that Modi always threatens. The institutions like ED, I-T and CBI are in his hands. He wants to take delimitation also into his hands. Therefore I said , in that context, he is terrorising people and political parties. I never said he is a terrorist,” Kharge said.
The BJP was not impressed.
“The Congress is an “Urban Naxal” party; that is why Kharge employs abusive language against the Prime Minister. This is not the first time this has happened. The repeated use of venomous rhetoric, including death threats, makes one thing abundantly clear: the Congress party’s “remote control” lies in the hands of anti-national forces,” BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said in a video message.
Calling it an insult to the Prime Minister, Union Minister Piyush Goyal demanded that the Congress apologise for the remarks.
I feel ashamed that the Congress and the DMK have stooped so low that they are insulting the Prime Minister who is democratically elected by the people of India, by calling him a terrorist.
Rahul Gandhi and MK Stalin must apologise for this downright insult to the Prime… https://t.co/V1nS0H0PPj
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) April 21, 2026
“I feel ashamed that the Congress and the DMK have stooped so low that they are insulting the Prime Minister who is democratically elected by the people of India, by calling him a terrorist. Rahul Gandhi and MK Stalin must apologise for this downright insult to the Prime Minister as well as the people of India who have voted him in,” Goyal posted on X.
“The Congress and DMK have humiliated 140 crore Indians, including our 8 crore Tamil brothers and sisters, with this statement. This unholy alliance is effectively calling Indians terrorists by targeting the Prime Minister. Such personal attacks against the PM won’t reverse their electoral fate that has already been sealed by the anger of the people who have suffered their misrule,” the Minister added.