‘Party of jokers’, BJP attacks Congress; it hits back: ‘Rahul Gandhi standing with students’

Shortly after a comedian imitated Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's "Chhatron Ki Goonj" event in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, the BJP criticized the Congress, accusing it of turning into a "circus" and branding Gandhi as an "uncultured grumpy uncle". The Congress responded, stating that the BJP-RSS has corrupted the education system and asserting that Gandhi stands with students demanding accountability.

The conflict escalated after a video shared by the Congress showed comedian Pulkit Mani mimicking Modi while performing a skit with Gandhi at the "Chhatron ki goonj" event. The video included clips of Modi with international leaders, with the tag "Narendra Modi's foreign policy". Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Kiren Rijiju, as well as UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, expressed their disapproval of the skit, accusing Gandhi of disrespecting India and its values.

BJP leaders, including Smriti Irani and Sandeep Pathak, responded to the Congress' claims, calling the mimicry act a sign of the party's intellectual decline and desperation. In contrast, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh defended Gandhi, stating that he exposes the anti-student system controlled by the BJP-RSS. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav questioned the journalist's personal emotions, implying that everyone has a similar sentiment for their mothers and families.