Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “sanskar” (values) over his alleged mockery of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying basic courtesy should not be reduced to political theatrics.
Majhi made the remarks in a post on X while criticising the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha over his alleged remarks about Modi at a public function in Indore on Saturday.
“Rahul Gandhi’s politics has reached a point where even an act of respect towards an elderly woman becomes an occasion for mockery. Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji saw an elderly woman standing in the crowd; paused his speech and ensured she was given a chair. That is sanskar. That is dignity. That is respect for the people,” Majhi said.
Sharing a video clip of Modi asking organisers to arrange a chair for an elderly woman standing in the crowd, Majhi alleged that Gandhi had mocked the gesture.
“Rahul Gandhi chose to mock this simple gesture of the PM. This is more than political disagreement. It exposes a value bankruptcy in Congress politics, where basic courtesy and respect have seemingly become targets of political theatrics,” he said.
Majhi also cautioned Gandhi against mocking acts of respect.
“Rahul Gandhi should remember that when you mock an act of respect, you do not diminish the person showing it. You only reveal your own ‘sanskar’,” he said.
During a visit to Odisha, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai also criticised Rahul Gandhi and alleged that the Congress leader’s political campaigns had resulted in losses for the party.
“If you look at his (Rahul Gandhi) past track record, wherever he has campaigned, Congress has suffered severe losses. Even in the recent elections at Delhi University (DU), our side won, which clearly shows who the youth of this country stand with,” Sai said.
Former Union minister and BJP MP Dharmendra Pradhan also hit out at Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on issues concerning students.
Pradhan alleged that the Congress leader had sought to portray every challenge faced by students as evidence of a “captured system” and reduced a complex education ecosystem to political slogans at an event titled ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ in Indore.
“But the reality is more consequential than mere rhetoric. Students deserve answers, not political theatre. While Mr LoP is busy peddling his agenda, India has expanded higher-education access, with GER rising from 23.7 per cent in 2014-15 to 30 per cent in 2023-24,” Pradhan said in a post on X.
On examination reforms, the former Union education minister said the government had moved towards computer-based testing to reduce vulnerabilities associated with paper-based tests, while acknowledging that examination integrity required continuous strengthening.
He said the Modi government had enacted a dedicated law against examination malpractices in 2024 and had subsequently strengthened it with tougher penalties and fast-track courts to ensure that those who “sabotage students’ futures” face strict punishment.
“The concerns raised by students must be taken seriously. But so must the work being done to expand opportunity, affordability, infrastructure and transparency. Will Rahul Gandhi speak about solutions, or will he keep turning every student’s anxiety into a political prop?
“India’s students do not need a politician to tell them to be angry. They need institutions that act, opportunities that expand and a government that stands with them. That is the difference between politics over students and politics for students,” Pradhan said.