BJP complains to CEO over Rahul’s ‘dance’ remark on PM, Cong hits back with ‘mujra’ barb

The BJP, ever ready to take offence on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, filed a formal complaint on Thursday against Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for suggesting that Narendra Modi would “do anything for votes — even dance”.

The complaint, lodged with the chief election officer of Bihar, accused Gandhi of “mocking” the dignity of the highest constitutional office. BJP functionary Bindhyachal Rai, convenor of the party’s Election Commission coordination department, urged “immediate and exemplary” action — including a show-cause notice, a public apology, and even a campaign ban — to protect “democratic decorum”.

Gandhi’s comment, made at rallies in Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga on Wednesday, was typical of his irreverent campaign style. “Narendra Modi is ready to enact all types of drama,” he told the crowd. “You try telling him at a poll rally that, Mr Prime Minister, we will vote for you if you dance. He will readily perform Bharat Natyam.”

The BJP’s sudden sensitivity, however, raised eyebrows — not least because this is the same prime minister who, during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign, accused the Opposition INDIA bloc of “performing mujra (a derogatory reference to a dance performance) to please their vote bank”.

The remark, delivered at a rally in Bihar’s Pataliputra constituency on 25 May 2024, had drawn widespread condemnation for its communal and misogynist undertones.

“They may remain enslaved and perform mujra to please their vote bank,” Modi had said. Yet, at the time, no BJP leader saw fit to complain about decorum, decency, or the sanctity of constitutional offices.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera wasted little time pointing out the double standard. “It is an irony that the prime minister, who uses terms like mujra while targeting his opponents, has a problem with the word ‘dance’,” he said.

Speaking to reporters in Patna, Khera added that the BJP’s reflexive outrage betrayed its lack of substance. “The BJP has no agenda and no report card to put before the public. They’d rather be seen as the guardians of the Prime Minister’s ego than answer for their governance failures,” he said.

The episode also comes close on the heels of another controversy the BJP has been milking for outrage — this time over an abusive remark made by a random individual from a dais erected during the Congress-RJD Bihar Voter Adhikar Yatra in August-September. That remark was twisted by the ruling party to pretend as though the Congress or RJD had delivered the “insult” to the PM's late mother. The entire party machinery, from ministers to IT cell operatives, had swung into action to express collective heartbreak — much as it has now over the word 'dance'.

Not content with one grievance a day, the BJP also found Gandhi guilty of “hurting the sanctity of Chhath Puja”. Union minister Annapurna Devi accused him of disrespecting the festival by calling it “drama”. Gandhi, however, had merely alleged that Modi had planned to take a dip in the seemingly irretrievably polluted Yamuna in Delhi for a photo opportunity during Chhath Puja, only for the plan to be dropped when it was discovered that the 'holy' river had been replaced with an artificial pond filled with clean drinking water for the PM's dip.

“Women of the Purvanchal region of Bihar, who observe this festival by carrying out a 36-hour nirjala (waterless) fast, are aggrieved by his comments,” Devi declared solemnly.

Observers note that the pattern has become familiar: every few weeks, the BJP transforms a passing barb or metaphor into an existential crisis for the Republic — provided it offers another chance to portray Modi as the unfairly maligned victim of Opposition disrespect.

Whether Gandhi’s 'Bharat Natyam' line truly breached the MCC or merely bruised the BJP’s sense of theatrical monopoly is for the Election Commission to decide. But as the ruling party polices humour, hyperbole and irony, it continues to prove one thing beyond doubt — when it comes to political performance, the BJP insists on being the star of every act.

With PTI inputs