BJP Hits Back at Congress Chief Kharge’s ‘Rotten Mango’ Jibe on Underperforming Leaders
In a fresh political spat, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla fired back at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s sharp comment calling non-performing leaders "bad mangoes" that could spoil the whole party. On Thursday, Poonawalla asked point-blank: "Who is the rotten mango in Congress?"
Kharge made the remark during the launch of a District Congress Presidents’ training camp in Junagadh on Wednesday. He urged party workers to weed out these "bad mangoes" before they ruin everything. This comes as Congress pushes to oust "compromised" and "non-performing" leaders. Kharge cited an internal report showing that 19 out of 41 city and district units in Gujarat are falling short on performance.
The Congress chief stressed building a strong base at the grassroots and booth levels. He called for discipline, dedication, and sticking to the party’s ideals while adapting to new times. "We must save democracy," Kharge said, rallying members to step up.
Poonawalla, speaking to , agreed with Kharge’s bluntness but turned the tables. "Kharge is spot on—non-performing Congress leaders are like rotten mangoes spoiling the box. But who’s the real rotten one? What’s the yardstick? If someone loses 99 elections, does that count?" He even joked about hoping Congress doesn’t punish Kharge for speaking the truth.
Poonawalla also brought up Rahul Gandhi’s past comments, where he compared party leaders to "wedding horses, race horses, and unfit ones." "Who was he talking about? Kharge should clear that up," he said with a chuckle.
The BJP leader didn’t stop there. He slammed Rahul Gandhi over a recent Madras High Court ruling. The court dismissed a public interest litigation asking the Election Commission to probe Gandhi’s claims of vote fraud in elections. It even fined the petitioner.
"Rahul Gandhi is the Pinocchio of Indian politics," Poonawalla quipped. "He’s turned Leader of Opposition into Leader of Propaganda. He keeps lying—whether it’s Maharashtra, where courts slammed him, or Haryana, where even Congress’s Kumari Selja denied any vote theft."
Poonawalla called Gandhi’s recent PowerPoint on election issues a "gimmick" and accused him of "hit and run" tactics—more like "spit and run." "After crying foul in Bihar, Maharashtra, and even the Vice-Presidential poll, it’s not vote theft—it’s truth theft. Time to stop," he added.
This exchange highlights the ongoing Congress-BJP rivalry ahead of key elections, with both sides trading barbs on leadership and credibility.
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