Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], September 20 : Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Jitu Patwari on Sunday dismissed allegations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's late mother was insulted during the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' student interaction in Indore, calling any attempt to construct a negative narrative around the event a "sin."
The political storm erupted after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi shared the stage with stand-up comedian Pulkit Mani on Saturday. BJP leaders sharply criticised the program, alleging that mimicry gestures performed on stage targeted the Prime Minister and his mother.
Speaking to ANI, Patwari rejected the BJP's claims and insisted that the event was entirely centred on public welfare, student grievances, and educational reform.
"People want corruption-free education. They want employment-oriented education, affordable education. Rahul Gandhi has brought those issues to the forefront for the state and the country, which are the pain points of parents today. I believe everything else is secondary. The thought, idea, and vision are positive, aimed at improving the country and filled with patriotism. To even think of creating any kind of negative narrative around this is, in a way, a sin. She wasn't mocked."
Congress leader Sajjan Singh Verma also hit back at the Bharatiya Janata Party, alleging that the ruling party was intentionally twisting a performance to divert attention from pressing social issues, including education and youth employment.
Verma claimed that the nationwide response to Rahul Gandhi’s student outreach program had rattled senior BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
"This reflects a perverse and despicable mindset—twisting things just to divert attention from issues of public interest. Mimicry and the creation of memes are considered healthy traditions; they are not regarded as crimes. It is simply a way of presenting something so that a wider audience sees it... This is just a twist concocted by the BJP because they are rattled. The resonance of Rahul Gandhi's 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' program across the country is so powerful that they are losing sleep out of anxiety."
Rahul Gandhi addressed students at the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' interactive session in Indore, focusing on education costs and employment opportunities. Stand-up comedian Pulkit Mani performed a routine on stage with Rahul Gandhi, which featured mimicry and gestures that BJP leaders claimed insulted the Prime Minister and his late mother.
State party leadership maintains that the satire fell within standard comic tradition and that the primary focus remains focused on student welfare and reform.