Will Kharge’s ‘snake’ jibe come back to bite the Congress in Karnataka?

It came as quite a surprise when Congress chief, Mallikarjun Kharge made a personal remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He referred to the PM as a 'snake' but later clarified that he was referring to the entire party.

Photo Credit: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge

"Modi is like a poisonous snake. If you think it is poison or not and you lick it, you are dead. You may think, is this poison. Modi is a good man. He has given it and we will see it. Then are fully asleep if you lick it,"Kharge said at a poll campaign in Karnataka's Gadag.

The remark was very surprising considering the fact that the Congress in Karnataka at the start of its poll campaign had decided that no personal remarks against the PM or other BJP leaders would be made. The party had also decided that it would not speak on Hindutva during the campaign. The state leadership had made it clear that the focus would be on the poll promises the party had made. The main focus would be on corruption and the leaders would not divert from this.

It would hardly be surprising if the BJP does not go to town with this comment. It has been noticed in the past that the Congress has never benefitted from making personal comments. It may also be recalled that Kharge had referred to PM Modi as Ravan during the Gujarat campaign.

During the 2007 Gujarat polls, the Congress made the 'Maut ka Saudagar' comment, while in 2019 it was 'Chowkidar Chor Hai.' All these three times the Congress was not rewarded by the voter.

In 2014, when Modi was leading the campaign, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar made a 'chaiwala' jibe against him. The BJP went to town and created the 'Chai pe Charcha' campaign. Aiyar once again during the 2017 Gujarat elections called the PM, 'neech Aadmi.'

The timing of the remark has surprised many as it has never paid dividends to the Congress in the past. The BJP however sees this as a turning point and is looking to make the most of it.

"This will be a turning point in the Karnataka elections. People here do not accept crass personal comments against anyone, let alone our most loved PM. Just wait and watch how the last nail on the Congress coffin will be hammered on May 10th," BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said in a tweet.