![\"'I](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130415448,imgsize-181962,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/congress-president-mallikarjun-kharge.jpg\" "\\"Congress")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge<\/a> on Tuesday referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi<\/a> as a \u201cterrorist\u201d and later issued a clarification, in remarks expected to trigger political controversy during the ongoing election season.Kharge made the statement in Chennai at a press conference on the final day of campaigning for the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, scheduled for Thursday. He was criticising the opposition AIADMK over its alliance with PM Modi’s BJP.“How can they (AIADMK) join with Modi? He is a terrorist. And he doesn’t believe in equality. His party won’t believe in equality and justice. And these people are joining with them, it means that they are weakening democracy, they are weakening the philosophy of Annadurai, Kamaraj, Periyar, Kalaignar, and Baba Saheb Ambedkar,” he said.“The Congress-DMK alliance will continue to deliver welfare, inclusive growth, quality education, and accessible healthcare,” he added.When questioned on the context of his remarks, the Congress chief said he meant that the prime minister always \u201cthreatens\u201d and pointed to the alleged \u201cmisuse\u201d of agencies by the BJP-led central government.\u201cI want to clarify that Modi always threatens. The institutions like ED, I-T and CBI are in his hands. Therefore I say, in that context, I say he is terrorising people and political parties,\u201d the veteran politician stated.Reacting to Kharge\u2019s remarks, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya criticised the Congress leader, calling it a \u201cyet another crass display\u201d in a post on X.\u201cThis isn\u2019t the first time Kharge has dragged public discourse to such lows. But with this remark, he hasn\u2019t just diminished himself, he has exposed what is a stated approach of the Congress: abuse and vilification of India\u2019s most popular leader instead of meaningful debate. When politics is reduced to name-calling, it reflects not strength, but a deep frustration and lack of credible alternatives,\u201d Malviya posted.AIADMK, an arch-rival of the ruling DMK, joined hands with the BJP in April 2025 after breaking away from the alliance ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, in which both parties failed to win any seats in Tamil Nadu. The DMK and its allies had swept the state in that election.Counting of votes for all 234 assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu is scheduled for May 4.<\/div>\n\n