IndiaPosted at: Sep 20 2026 2:15PM


'Congress has become a party of comedians and jokers,' says Rijiju; Comic’s Modi impersonation sparks another BJP-Congress slugfest

New Delhi, Sep 19 (UNI) Opposition Congress and the ruling BJP traded barbs over a stand-up comedian impersonating Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event in Indore on Saturday.
Union minister Kiren Rijiju said the Congress has become "a party of comedians and jokers."
"I hadn't imagined that a party which was in power for nearly six decades would turn into such a circus who are busy entertaining their own shrunk supporters. Indians are proud that our Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the most popular elected leader of the world!" he said in a social media post on Sunday.
Taking to the stage during the student-focused programme, stand-up comedian Pulkit Mani mimicked PM Modi’s mannerisms and speaking style in interactions with foreign leaders, and made apparent references to the PM's late mother and a coin trick he had performed for children.
Having performed a similar act on social media that went viral, Mani repeatedly used the phrase “my friend”, mimicking the PM’s interactions with foreign leaders while Gandhi played along, and the audience cheered.
The comedian also referred to "Galgotias", refreshing memories of the controversy surrounding a Chinese humanoid robot showcased by the university at the India Global AI Summit. The act included a reference to "maa" with Mani saying “Maa ko kursi do, maa."
Congress leaders shared clips of the interaction on X. The party's handle posted one with the captions, “Narendra Modi ki Foreign Policy" and “My friend!! Great Harassment!!”
The BJP slammed Gandhi and the Congress, particularly over the reference to Modi’s late mother, accusing him of endorsing "uncouth" and "third-rate antics". Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said it was “extremely shameful and painful” to see objectionable remarks made about Modi’s late mother and Gandhi laughing at them. “A mother is not a subject of politics," he said.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav criticised Gandhi, describing his “irresponsible attitude” as “shameful” and “condemnable”.
The episode, meanwhile, added to bitter exchanges between the two parties on the PM's mannerisms. At an earlier Congress event, Gandhi and party leader Sandeep Dikshit had hugged to take a dig at PM Modi's foreign policy.
The Indore incident also comes amid the intensifying social media battle between the Congress and BJP, which has resulted in AI-generated images targeting leaders of both parties. While Congress’ Kerala unit shared AI-generated images targeting BJP leaders, BJP state units retaliated with AI-generated images of senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.
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Tags: #'Congress has become a party of comedians and jokers#' says Rijiju; Comic’s Modi impersonation sparks another BJP-Congress slugfest
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