‘Muhabbat humare saath, Shaadi Modi sahab se’: Kharge’s jibe at ex-PM Deve Gowda sparks laughter in Rajya Sabha

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday took a pointed swipe at former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, questioning his political loyalties. While recalling the warmth and camaraderie Gowda had often displayed towards the Congress, Kharge suggested that his ultimate loyalty appeared to lie elsewhere—with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a remark laced with nostalgia and quiet disappointment, the Congress president reflected on a bond that stretched back 54 years—one built on shared work, trust, and political companionship.

Kharge, the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said Deve Gowda was the Prime Minister and served in several other capacities.

"I have known him for 54 years and have worked with him. But I don't know what happened. He dated us, loved us, but married Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Kharge said, speaking in Rajya Sabha, drawing a round of laughter from across the House. The Prime Minister, who was present in the Rajya Sabha, was also seen laughing.

Gowda was not present in the Upper House when Kharge made these remarks.

Gowda told Gandhi he had been “greatly disturbed by a certain chaos orchestrated “primarily by the opposition parties, and said, “I strongly feel that Congress parliamentarians, led by the Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, have provoked far too many disruptions inside Parliament and in its premises.”

The veteran leader also claimed that there is an “unprecedented” scale of disruptions in recent times.

“Parliament, in recent times, has witnessed an excess of slogan-shouting, display of placards and name-calling. There has been an attitude of non-seriousness, which has assaulted my very idea and construct of Parliament and parliamentary democracy,” Gowda said in the letter to Sonia.

Gowda and Kharge are prominent political leaders from Karnataka. Gowda, a former Prime Minister, was born in Hassan district, Karnataka, while Kharge, a senior Congress leader, was born in Bidar district, Karnataka

Gowda was the Prime Minister for less than a year after the 1996 Lok Sabha polls. The Congress supported the United Front government led by Gowda. Gowda's JDS tied up with the Congress in Karnataka for the 2018 state polls, and the alliance won.Gowda's son, HD Kumaraswamy, became Chief Minister, but the state government collapsed in 2019 after several Congress and JDS MLAs rebelled.

The JDS later allied with the BJP. Kumaraswamy is a Minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the centre.

During his speech in REajya Sabha on Wednesday, Kharge bid farewell to retiring Rajya Sabha MPs, asserting that those in politics and public life "neither get tired nor retire" due to their passion to serve the country.

Addressing the upper house of Parliament during the ongoing budget session, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rajya Sabha said, “Those in politics, public life, neither get tired nor retire for the passion to serve the country.”

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also thanked the retiring Rajya Sabha MPs for their contributions, wishing them well for their future political endeavours as he emphasised that there was "no full stop in politics".

Modi urged the newly elected MPs to learn from the veterans like HD Deve Gowda, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sharad Pawar, who he said have spent more than half of their lives in parliamentary work.

"HD Deve Gowda, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Sharad Pawar are senior leaders who have spent more than half of their lives in parliamentary work. Newly elected MPs should learn from them," he said.

Ramdas Athawale, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Tiruchi Siva, Amarendra Dhari Singh, and Abhishek Manu Singhvi are among the 37 retiring MPs. This comes after biennial Rajya Sabha elections were held to fill 37 seats across 10 states. Out of the 37 seats, 26 candidates were elected unopposed.

(With agency inputs)