CHENNAI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge courted controversy on the last day of the election campaign in Tamil Nadu.
Highlighting opposition unity during the defeat of the Delimitation Bill, which had also been linked to the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill, the Congress president criticised the AIADMK for supporting the BJP and labelled PM Modi a ‘terrorist who does not believe in equality’.
“I also thank the Tamil Nadu people who have given MPs to us, that’s why we were able to fight and defeat the bill. This is the land of scientific thinking and ideals of Periyar, Dr Ambedkar, Annadurai, great Kamaraj and Karunanidhi. These people stood for this women’s reservation, justice, equality, and fraternity”.
In yet another crass display, Congress Presented Mallikarjun Kharge calls Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “terrorist,” questioning how AIADMK can align with him.
This isn’t the first time Kharge has dragged public discourse to such lows. But with this remark, he hasn’t just… pic.twitter.com/4abaYWYHOq
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) April 21, 2026
“Modi is not for these principles and one more thing I want to tell how this AIADMK people who themselves put the photo of Annadurai, how can they join with Modi who is a terrorist and who won’t believe in equality, his party won’t believe in equality and justice and these people are joining with them, it means that they are weakening democracy, they are weakening the philosophy of Annadurai, Kamaraj, Periyar and Karunanidhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar. The Congress-DMK alliance will continue to deliver welfare, inclusive growth, quality education and accessible healthcare”, he said.
When questioned on the choice of words, Kharge quickly defended himself, claiming that he meant to say that the PM was terrorising his political opponents “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”, Kharge said.
#WATCH चेन्नई, तमिलनाडु | PM मोदी पर अपनी टिप्पणी पर सफाई देते हुए कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष मल्लिकार्जुन खरगे ने कहा, “वह (PM मोदी) लोगों और राजनीतिक पार्टियों को डरा रहे हैं। मैंने कभी नहीं कहा कि वह आतंकवादी हैं…मेरा मतलब है, मैं साफ करना चाहता हूं, कि मोदी हमेशा धमकी देते हैं। ED,… pic.twitter.com/8oRUPLhv1E
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) April 21, 2026
The Congress president also criticised the BJP, alleging that the party is anti-women and had no right to take the moral high ground on the subject.
“Now, the Women’s Welfare Bill, how ironic that the BJP, RSS, the flag bearers of Manuvadi politics, who treated women as second-class citizens according to their ideology, according to Manuvad, they are talking about women’s welfare. There are several examples I can give right from Kerala to Kanyakumari to Jammu and Kashmir, or even UP. We passed the women’s reservation bill in 2023. The Prime Minister himself thanked the opposition for its unanimous support, and now PM is lying that the opposition defeated the bill. Today, he is misleading everyone. If he truly intends to implement it, he can provide 33% reservation to women within the existing 543 Lok Sabha members. As President of the Congress party, I assure the sisters and daughters of Tamil Nadu that I stand firmly by the Women’s Reservation Bill passed in 2023,” he said.
Kharge also made an impassioned appeal to voters to choose the DMK-Congress alliance in the polls on April 23. “BJP’s hidden agenda is that it seeks to impose its ideology, culture and centralised control; it aims to interfere in state matters and ignore the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu, to mislead voters, and it has allied with the AIADMK. I urge people not to fall prey to this trap”.
“I also caution voters about certain parties that may present themselves as alternatives, but in reality only divide the secular vote and indirectly help the BJP and its divisive agenda. Final appeal, forces like the BJP, AIADMK can weaken the very alliance that is fighting to protect Tamil Nadu’s rights, identity and values. I urge the people to vote decisively to strengthen the Congress-DMK alliance with other partners and ensure a progressive, inclusive future of the state, defeat the anti-Periyar, anti-Anna, anti-Ambedkar, anti-Kamaraj, anti-women, this BJP and AIADMK alliance,” he said.
Tamil Nadu goes to the Polls on April 23 with results to be announced on May 4. (ANI)
