Congress questions PM Modi's participation in Bhajan Clubbing
Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge raises concerns over PM Modi attending the Bhajan Clubbing event in Delhi.
Karnataka government minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge has raised questions about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's participation in the 'Bhajan Clubbing' event in Delhi. He alleged that the Prime Minister has time for such events but not for answering serious questions related to the Election Commission.
Kharge wrote on X on Saturday,
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has time for ‘Bhajan Clubbing’, but does not have time to answer serious questions about the attacks on democracy through the Election Commission.”
He further stated that,
“For the past 13 years, we have seen the same pattern—when difficult questions arise before the government, Prime Minister Modi does not respond. According to Kharge, the Prime Minister attends events but remains silent on accountability issues.”
The BJP has termed Kharge's statement as an insult to the tradition of bhajan and devotion. Party spokesperson C.R. Kesavan shared a screenshot of Kharge's post, stating that Congress is once again mocking India's cultural heritage.
This event took place at a time when the opposition is questioning the Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral voter list. Congress held protests across the country on Friday. Meanwhile, protests regarding women's safety also took place after three individuals disguised as police officers were accused of gang-raping a teenager in a park in South Delhi. On Wednesday, hundreds of students from Lady Shri Ram College and other institutions protested. Following the incident, the college had temporarily shifted classes online. Amid these events, the Prime Minister's presence at the ‘Bhajan Clubbing’, organized with a focus on youth, especially Gen Z, has become a topic of political debate on social media.
It is noteworthy that Congress leader Priyank Kharge's statement comes at a time when the opposition is demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised objections at least 14 times over the past 10 months regarding certain decisions and orders, claiming these decisions were made without their knowledge. According to the report, the objections included issues such as changes to the voter registration form 6 and centralizing control over the voter list database.
Congress workers have protested in several states including Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Manipur regarding the arbitrary actions of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, his functioning, and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list. Other opposition parties have also announced protests. However, the Election Commission has stated that its official orders, decisions, and administrative directives are completely legally valid. According to the Commission, it is normal for different opinions to arise during discussions in any institution.
It is significant that,
“Prime Minister Modi participated in the ‘Bhajan Clubbing’ event held in front of the BJP's national headquarters in Delhi on Friday. This event was organized on the occasion of the 110th birth anniversary of Deendayal Upadhyaya. In ‘Bhajan Clubbing’, participants sing bhajans, clap, and dance in a youth concert-like atmosphere. On this occasion, PM Modi was seen clapping and playing the khanjari to the tunes of bhajans with the youth on Friday night.”
The Prime Minister shared videos of the event on social media. On Saturday, he posted two more videos shot from different angles. Along with one video on Instagram, he asked, “Did your feet also tap while watching this?” The BJP described this event as a confluence of culture, devotion, and new energy.
However, some people raised questions about the timing of the event on the Prime Minister's post.
Abhijit Deepake, founder of the Cockroach People’s Party (CJP), shared a screenshot of the news about the gang-rape of a 17-year-old girl in a park in South Delhi in response to Modi's post, writing just one word—“Priorities.”
According to the figures displayed on the post, his comment received over 11,000 likes.
Others on social media also made sarcastic comments. Meanwhile, some users supported the Prime Minister, stating that ‘Bhajan Clubbing’ is becoming popular among the youth and is a medium to connect with devotion in a modern way. Modi has also described this trend as a blend of devotion, culture, spirituality, and modernity.