BJP workers at a protest rally organised by the BJP Mahila Morcha, Nagaland unit, in Dimapur on September 1 near the Congress Bhawan. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 1
Emotions ran high on September 1 as the Bharatiya Janata Party Mahila Morcha (BJPMM), Nagaland unit, staged a protest rally just across the Congress Bhavan, Dimapur.
The protest was over alleged derogatory remarks made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother by the leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi at a political rally in Darbhanga, Bihar.
Protestors held placards that read, ‘Congress can’t tolerate poor’s son as PM,’ ‘Insult of a mother, not tolerable to an Indian son or daughter,’ ‘Enough of Congress nonsense,’ ‘BJP builds India, Congress abuses India’ as Congress workers looked on from across the road.
Addressing the rally, state BJP Mahila Morcha President Tsachola Rothrong claimed that the incident in Darbhanga has shaken every Indian who believes in dignity and respect. According to her, true leadership is judged not by presence but by responsibility.
“If such language is heard from your stage, under your banners, the first duty of a responsible leader is to condemn it immediately and apologise to the people of India. Instead, what followed were delays, blame games, and legal complaints,” Rothrong said.
“Even during the fiercest political battles, our elders never dragged a mother into abuse. To insult a departed mother is not political criticism; it is an insult to every family that cherishes the memory of its elders,” she added.
Rothrong acknowledged the condemnation of the incident by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, calling it an example of how democracies should respond. She, however, asserted that the larger moral responsibility lies with Congress leadership.
She demanded that Gandhi should issue an unconditional apology to the nation, coming up with a clear disciplinary policy against abusive language by political leaders, and a bipartisan pledge to keep families out of political rhetoric.
The protest in Dimapur followed similar demonstrations across the country, including in Patna, Surat, and Chhattisgarh, where BJP leaders demanded accountability from the Congress. Rothrong warned that when political rhetoric degenerates into personal vilification, “the victim is not just the person insulted, the victim is India itself.”
“We can fight fiercely on policies and ideas, but we must never fight on mothers. Power is transient, but words endure—let us choose words that uplift our Republic and honour our heritage,” she said.
