PM Modi Takes Dig At Congress Over Ganesh Puja Row: "Party Being Run By ‘Tukde-Tukde’ Gang"

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a speech in Maharashtra's Wardha, reignited the Ganesh Chaturthi controversy by accusing the Congress party of harbouring animosity towards the popular Hindu festival.

He expressed strong criticism, emphasising that any political party with respect for India's culture and traditions would not oppose Ganpati Puja.

"A party that has even a shred of respect for our faith and culture can never oppose Ganpati Puja. But today's Congress harbours hatred even for Ganpati Puja. The land of Maharashtra is a witness to how, during the freedom struggle under the leadership of Lokmanya Tilak, the Ganpati festival became a symbol of India's unity," said PM Modi.

He evoked the historical significance of the festival, which was transformed into a public event by freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak to unite people against British rule.

The Prime Minister drew a distinction between Congress of the past, which he associated with leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, and the current Congress, which he claimed had lost its sense of patriotism.

According to him, today's Congress is filled with "hatred" instead of the values it once stood for.

He remarked, "The current Congress is not the same as the one associated with leaders like Mahatma Gandhi. The soul of patriotism has left it, and hatred has taken its place."

PM Modi also slammed the party's rhetoric and actions, accusing its leaders of spreading an anti-India agenda on foreign platforms.

This was a thinly-veiled reference to Rahul Gandhi, who recently completed a three-day visit to the United States, during which he criticised the BJP.

"This is the Congress that is being run by the 'tukde-tukde' gang and 'urban Naxals.' Today, if there is any party that is the most corrupt in the country, it is the Congress," Modi alleged, further claiming that the Congress' current leadership has shifted its focus from serving the country to dividing society and insulting Indian culture and faith.

This comes amid a broader controversy that erupted when PM Modi visited Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud's residence in Delhi for a Ganesh Puja on September 11.

The visit sparked divisions within the legal community, with opposition parties and several lawyers raising concerns about the propriety of such a meeting, especially between the head of the executive and the judiciary. Critics argued that the meeting could potentially compromise judicial transparency and independence.

Despite the backlash, members of the BJP and some legal professionals dismissed the criticism, stating that the objections were unwarranted. Senior Supreme Court lawyers, however, continued to express apprehensions about the implications of the Prime Minister's visit, questioning its appropriateness and potential impact on the perception of the judiciary's neutrality.