Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge faced strong criticism from the BJP for mispronouncing the names of President Droupadi Murmu and her predecessor Ram Nath Kovind during a public event in Chhattisgarh.
A clip of the Congress chief’s speech at the Science Ground in Raipur went viral on social media, in which he could be heard referring to the President as "Murma ji". Immediately realising his mistake, he corrected himself to say "Murmu". However, moments later, he made another gaffe, mispronouncing the former President’s name as "Covid" instead of "Kovind".
The remarks from Kharge, who hails from Karnataka, came while he addressed the issue of large-scale deforestation in Chhattisgarh. The Congress leader accused the BJP, the ruling party in the state, and its "industrialist friends" of land grabbing.
"Our jal, jungle, and zameen (water, forests, and land) need to be protected, and hence we need to be united... They (BJP) say we made (Droupadi) Murmu President, (Ram Nath) Covid (Kovind) President, but why? To steal our resources, our jungle, jal, and zameen. Today, people like Adani and Ambani are occupying it," Kharge said.
Kharge’s comments drew sharp criticism from the BJP. Party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia, in a press conference, slammed Kharge for what he called "anti-Dalit" remarks.
"Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge ji’s remarks about our current and former Presidents are not just disrespectful—they are downright disgraceful," Bhatia said.
"He referred to President Droupadi Murmu as ‘Murma ji’ and shockingly mispronounced Shri Ram Nath Kovind’s name as ‘Covid.’ Repeatedly addressing such esteemed individuals without using basic respectful titles like ‘Honourable’ reflects an appalling disregard for the dignity of the highest constitutional office," he added.
It is worth noting that in 2022, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had landed himself in trouble after making a derogatory remark against the President. Speaking to reporters, Chowdhury used the word "rashtrapatni" for President Murmu. After facing backlash, he attempted to downplay the outrage, claiming it was unintentional and a slip of the tongue. "This error occurred because my mother tongue is Bengali, and I am not well-versed in Hindi," he had said.
