Bhopal/Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) [India], September 21 : BJP leaders have criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the mimicry of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and an alleged reference to a mother during the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme in Indore, while the Congress claimed they were making such allegations out of fear. 
Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia criticised the incident and said that such conduct was disrespectful to Indian culture and traditions.
“Those who are not aware of or do not have respect for dignity, civility, culture and the traditions of Sanatan Dharma, the more we condemn them, the less it is. This was not a joke. It was a mockery of every mother in India. For the Leader of the Opposition in the country to stand on an open stage while a mother is mocked and to smile and laugh loudly is something that cannot be more condemnable. The people of the country will respond to the Congress party and all those who were involved in this at the appropriate time; I am fully confident of that,” Scindia said.
Additionally, Madhya Pradesh Minister Narendra Shivaji Patel also objected to the mimicry during the event and said that political criticism should be issue-based and respectful.
“The Prime Minister of the country deserves respect. There should be criticism in politics; we have also done it. We learnt politics during the time of Indira Gandhi and criticised her as well. But our party taught us to use respectful and dignified words while discussing issues. Congress today appears to have strayed from that path. They are discussing matters that should not be subjects of discussion,” Patel said.
He added, “The way the word ‘mother’ has been mimicked is not a subject of mimicry; it is a symbol of respect. In our country, we have regarded every river as a mother, Narmada Maiya, Ganga Maiya and even trees such as Tulsi mata and cows have been accorded the status of mother. In a country where we regard our nation as a mother and call it Bharat Mata, where motherhood is held in such high regard, mimicking a mother is, I believe, deeply insulting.”
Meanwhile, Congress leader PC Sharma called criticism baseless and said the event focused on students and their concerns, adding that the BJP were making allegations out of fear.   
“The artist who did the mimicry has performed it at several places. He has also done it on television shows; he keeps doing this. He was present there as well, and he was young too. But at Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme in Indore, three main issues were discussed, which include students’problems, their education and employment. This is the BJP’s nervousness about how one lakh young people gathered in Indore. Out of fear, they are continuously making such allegations, which have no substance,” Sharma said.