NEW DELHI — The Election Commission of India on Wednesday issued a stern 24-hour notice to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, demanding an explanation for remarks in which he appeared to call Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "terrorist" during Tamil Nadu's Assembly election campaign.
The notice came after a high-level BJP delegation — including Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Kiren Rijiju — met with the full commission to demand the "strictest action" against Kharge for what they called a gross violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
The controversy erupted on the final day of campaigning in Tamil Nadu, when Kharge criticised the AIADMK for supporting the BJP and described PM Modi as a "terrorist who does not believe in equality."
Pressed on his choice of words, Kharge quickly sought to clarify his intent.
"He is terrorising people and political parties. I never said he is a terrorist... What I mean, I want to clarify, is that Modi always threatens. The institutions like ED, I-T and CBI are in his hands," he said.
The clarification did little to defuse the political storm that followed.
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Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju was among the most vocal in condemning the remarks.
"We have filed a strong complaint against Congress President Kharge ji for his shocking and disgraceful remark calling PM Modi a 'terrorist.' This is not just derogatory, it is a dangerous and unprecedented attack on democratic institutions," he said in a post on X, calling for immediate action.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal described the remarks as a "new low" in political discourse and demanded an apology from Congress and its DMK allies. Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai also weighed in, criticising Kharge for using what he called "indecent language" unbecoming of a senior politician.
Congress leader KC Venugopal accused the BJP of deliberately amplifying the issue to divert attention from more substantive concerns, arguing that Kharge's meaning was clear and had already been clarified.
"Prime Minister Modi is trying to terrorise people by using the ED and the CBI. That's what Mallikarjun Kharge said... Kharge himself clarified that he does not call PM Modi a 'terrorist' — then why is BJP targeting him?" he said.
DMK MP Kanimozhi also backed the underlying point about central agency misuse. "Yes, there are raids. They use Income Tax, CBI, and ED against their opposition parties. This has been their style of functioning," she said.
The exchange unfolded in the final hours of Tamil Nadu's silence period before polling on April 23, 2026 — putting the Election Commission under added pressure to act swiftly and visibly on any MCC violations before voting begins.