BJP leaders slam mimicry of PM at Rahul Gandhi’s student event

On September 20, 2026, a political dispute erupted in Madhya Pradesh when BJP leaders criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for showcasing standup comedian Pulkit Mani's impersonation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a student engagement event in Indore. Mr. Gandhi, who leads the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, was observed laughing during the performance by Mr. Mani.

In the routine, Mr. Mani mimicked Mr. Modi's dialogues with foreign dignitaries and others. Though Mr. Mani did not directly refer to Mr. Modi, the Congress leader mimicked the Prime Minister by saying "How are you, Modi ji?" while hugging him. The most contentious segment involved Mr. Mani mocking the Prime Minister for asking for a chair for an elderly woman during a rally.

Following the event, Madhya Pradesh's Chief Minister Mohan Yadav shared a clip of the act and termed Mr. Gandhi's behavior "extremely shameful". Yadav went on to condemn the Congress leader, stating that by insulting the honor of the nation's culture and mothers, he had misguided the future of the youth. Union Minister Piyush Goyal labeled the act as "cheap political theatre".

Chhattisgarh's Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai used the ABVP's victory in DU student union elections to deride Mr. Gandhi, suggesting that the youth of the nation supported the BJP. While the Congress has not yet officially commented on the BJP's allegations, party insiders stated that many within the party found the event distasteful.

However, Congress supporters on social media shared an old clip of Mr. Modi apparently mocking Mr. Gandhi as a dyslexic person at a 2019 event. During a video conference with students at IIT-Kharagpur, Mr. Modi had laughedingly asked if his project for dyslexic children could also benefit "40 to 50-year-old children as well", drawing laughter from the audience.

At the event in Indore, Mr. Gandhi accused a "system" led by Mr. Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and certain bureaucrats and businesspersons of undermining students and the education system. He alleged that the system favored "andhbhakts (blind followers)" over questioning students. After the controversy, Mani announced that a scheduled show in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, was cancelled "due to unforeseen circumstances".

The District Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar, where Noida is located, declined to comment, and some officials expressed ignorance about the show or any related decision.