MallikarjunKharge expressed ‘regret’ after the BJP’s claim of him calling Gujaratis’ illiterate.’

Kharge gave a clarification on the controversy a day after the BJP alleged that he called Gujaratis “illiterate” during a rally in Kerala.

During the launch of the West Bengal Congress Manifesto for the upcoming State Assembly Election 2026 in Kolkata, All India Congress Committee (AICC) President MallikarjunKharge made a few remarks that didn’t sit well with the BJP. He has now clarified the same on social media.

MallikarjunKharge gives clarification after calling Gujaratis “illiterate.”

Senior Congress leader MallikarjunKharge expressed regret on Wednesday, a day after, at a rally in Kerala that triggered a political row, with the BJP seeking his apology. In an X post, Kharge said that his remarks were “deliberately misinterpreted”, but added that he still expresses regret. His clarification comes a day after the BJP alleged that he called Gujaratis “illiterate” during a rally in Kerala and sought the Congress MP’s apology. As per news agency PTI, at an election rally in Kerala’s Idukki on Sunday, Kharge had said that the people of the state were “educated and clever” and could not be misled, unlike those who were “illiterate” in Gujarat and other places. On Tuesday, his remarks sparked a major political storm.

What did Kharge clarify on social media?

Taking to X, he wrote, “Some remarks of mine in a recent election speech in Kerala are being deliberately misinterpreted. Even so, I express my sincere regret. It was never my intention to hurt the sentiments of the people of Gujarat for whom I have always had and will continue to have the highest of respect.” Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asked Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to clarify whether they agreed with Kharge’s statement. On this, Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “Do they agree with this statement? If Rahul Gandhi has any sense, he should distance himself from this remark, condemn it, and demand an apology.” Prasad also questioned Kharge’s role as Congress president and wondered if he had “abandoned all sense of dignity.”

Prasad further told, as quoted by PTI, “The position he holds was once occupied by leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru, SardarVallabhbhai Patel, Dr Rajendra Prasad, Maulana Azad, Sonia Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and even Rahul Gandhi. What kind of language is being used by someone holding such a post? Kharge’s comment is not only demeaning, but shameless and utterly despicable.”