Overview
- At the National MGNREGA Workers’ Convention in New Delhi, Mallikarjun Kharge called Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tea-seller narrative “drama” for votes and asked whether he has ever actually made or served tea.
- Kharge said the government focuses on electioneering over delivery for the poor, arguing that headline projects are overstated and that even basic railway track expansion has lagged compared with earlier periods.
- The BJP condemned the comments as elitist, with spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleging Kharge acted on Rahul Gandhi’s instructions and predicting voters would punish Congress again.
- BJP leader Tom Vadakkan defended Modi’s humble background as an established fact and contrasted it with what he called Congress’s dynastic entitlement.
- The exchange follows recent controversy over a Congress-shared AI-generated video depicting Modi with a kettle, underscoring how synthetic media now features in partisan messaging.