Kharge calls Modi’s SRCC talk a political campaign, slams ‘Angry Uncle’ jibe

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took to X on Sunday, fresh from Narendra Modi’s centenary address at Delhi University’s Shri Ram College of Commerce, to call the whole episode a “political campaign” rather than a genuine dialogue with India’s youth.

Kharge wrote that the Prime Minister had a golden chance to discuss education, jobs and the future of young Indians – but, instead of facing their questions, he turned the platform into another campaign rally. “You came to SRCC to talk about the country’s youth, yet the speech became yet another political campaign,” he typed, adding a hint of exasperation that feels all too familiar in today’s political back‑and‑forth.

He didn’t stop at the speech itself. The congress leader reminded everyone that just a day earlier Modi had branded his critics as “Angry Uncles” – a label Kharge says is part of a broader pattern. According to him, the government keeps inventing fresh adjectives – “Naraz foofa”, “Urban Naxal”, “Andolanjeevi” and the like – to mask what he calls “anti‑people policies”. “Adjectives change, but the policies stay the same,” Kharge argued.

Kharge also laid out what he called the youth’s report card: soaring unemployment, years‑long delays in government recruitments, recurring paper‑leak scandals, ever‑rising tuition fees, dwindling scholarship opportunities, and mounting pressure on university autonomy. “When the prime minister is out of reach, outreach becomes a circus,” he quipped, urging the government to listen to #ChhatronKiGoonj rather than “beating around the bush”.

Modi, for his part, used the SRCC ceremony – which also marked Teachers’ Day – to celebrate a string of flagship projects: the Statue of Unity, high‑speed rail, UPI, semiconductor factories and the new Parliament building. He juxtaposed these achievements with the “Angry Uncles”, claiming they always ask, “What is the need?” and that India will keep moving forward despite such objections.

The exchange underscores a widening rift between the ruling BJP and the opposition, with Kharge accusing the prime minister of sidestepping accountability and the BJP leader leaning on rhetorical counters to deflect criticism. Whether either side will bridge the gap or keep trading barbs remains to be seen.