A joke, a jab, and a smile: Kharge’s quip on Deve Gowda gets PM Modi smiling

Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, is known for his caustic attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sharp exchanges with the Chair. But on Wednesday (March 18), the Rajya Sabha colleagues of the outgoing MP saw a different side of him. A side which even made a non-nonsense politician like Prime Minister Narendra Modi smile.

Kharge, during his farewell speech, referred to former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and NCP founder Sharad Pawar, whose current terms in the Upper House are nearing their end. However, Pawar is set to return to the Rajya Sabha.

A line that changed the mood

During his speech, Kharge pointed out that Deve Gowda had served as the Prime Minister in several other capacities. Till this point, it was a usual Parliamentary speech. Then came the remark that even made PM Modi chuckle.

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In an apparent reference to the alliance between Janata Dal (Secular) and the BJP in 2019 after the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka, Kharge humorously said that the JD(S) patriarch wooed and courted the Congress but ultimately decided to tie the knot with PM Modi. This left both the Opposition and Treasury benches in splits. Even PM Modi was seen laughing.

Taking a dig at Union Minister and RPI (A) chief Ramdas Athawale, Kharge said, "He always praises Modiji in his poems. He doesn't know any other poem," reported NDTV.

PM in farewell mode

Earlier, PM Modi struck a reflective note while bidding farewell to members completing their terms in the Rajya Sabha. Thanking them for their years in Parliament, he suggested that public life rarely comes to a neat conclusion.

“There is no full stop in politics,” he said, before adding, “The future is waiting for you. Your experience and contribution will always be remembered.”

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The remarks then turned toward those just entering the Upper House. PM Modi pointed them to the long careers of leaders such as HD Deve Gowda, Mallikarjun Kharge and Sharad Pawar, holding them up as examples shaped by decades in parliamentary work.

“HD Deve Gowda ji, Mallikarjun Kharge ji, and Sharad Pawar ji are senior leaders who have spent more than half of their lives in parliamentary work. Newly elected MPs should learn from them,” he said.

Humour, still alive

Then came a lighter aside. Referring to Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, PM Modi brought in a note of humour, recalling how wit and satire once had a more visible place in the House.

“Sometimes we used to hear that there is a lot of opportunity for humour and satire in the House. These days, perhaps it is gradually decreasing. But our Athawale is evergreen,” he said. The comment drew smiles, with Athawale himself set to return for another term in the Rajya Sabha.

The session comes against the backdrop of a round of vacancies in the Upper House. Thirty-seven seats fell vacant this year. Of these, 26 candidates were elected unopposed, while the rest were decided through polling earlier this week.