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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s light-hearted “Chanakya” remark for Jairam Ramesh during a Rajya Sabha debate sparked smiles and political reactions.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. (Photo: PTI)
During the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed the Rajya Sabha on 150 years of Vande Mataram. Even as he criticised the government, the session saw several unexpected light moments that drew laughter from both sides of the House.
While attacking the government over the fall of the rupee, Kharge referred to Union Home Minister Amit Shah as one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s top advisors.
“You would know, you are the main advisor and prime executive,” he remarked. Hearing this, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, seated behind Kharge, whispered “Chanakya”, a popular nickname often used for Shah because of his political strategy and organisational influence.
Kharge repeated the word and then pointed back at Ramesh, telling the treasury benches, “A Chanakya is sitting here too.” The comment prompted smiles from Amit Shah, Kiren Rijiju, Ramesh, and Digvijaya Singh.
BJP claims Congress rift
The BJP quickly seized on the exchange. Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said the moment exposed the Congress’s “internal fight”, sharing a video clip of Kharge’s gesture. Congress leaders, however, brushed off the claim, treating the moment as banter rather than discord.
Kharge defends Congress role in Vande Mataram
Returning to the main discussion, Kharge strongly defended the Congress’s historical role in championing Vande Mataram. He said the party had made it a slogan of the freedom movement and had regularly sung it at its conventions. “Congress started this tradition. Did you do it?” he asked the treasury benches.
Kharge accused the Prime Minister and Home Minister of repeatedly criticising Jawaharlal Nehru without understanding the context. He referred to claims that Nehru removed parts of the song or encouraged appeasement. “When you formed a government in Bengal with the Muslim League, where was your patriotism?” Kharge asked, urging the government to study its own history.
He also reminded the House that in 1937, it was the Congress Working Committee, not Nehru alone, that unanimously resolved that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram should be sung at national events. “If you are trying to target Nehruji’s image, it is impossible,” he said.
Internal Fight out in the open! Mallikarjun Kharge TROLLS Jairam Ramesh! 😂 pic.twitter.com/0uYfMGlcOS— Pradeep Bhandari(प्रदीप भंडारी)🇮🇳 (@pradip103) December 9, 2025
Kharge and Ramesh have had earlier moments in the House involving good-natured teasing. In July 2024, then Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar had joked that Ramesh should take Kharge’s seat because of his habit of prompting. Kharge responded sharply, accusing Dhankhar of reflecting “varna system” thinking. Dhankhar later clarified that he had been misunderstood.
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December 10, 2025, 14:32 IST
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