Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday took a jibe at Union Minister Amit Shah saying that taking dip in Ganga would not help end poverty in the country.

The attack from the Congress President comes shortly after Amit Shah took a holy dip at Triveni Sangam along with his family members during the Maha Kumbh on Monday.

“Will taking a dip in Ganga remove poverty? Will people get food in their stomach? I don’t want to question anyone’s ‘aastha (faith)’. If anyone feels bad, I apologise. But tell me, when a child is dying of hunger and he is not going to school and when the labourers are not getting their dues. At such a time, these people are spending thousands of rupees and competing for taking dips (in the Ganga),” Kharge said, while taking a dig at Amit Shah. 

धर्म पर हम सभी की आस्था है, धर्म हम सभी के साथ है।

लेकिन..

अगर धर्म के नाम पर किसी समाज में गरीबों का शोषण होगा.. तो हम कभी बर्दाश्त नहीं करेंगे।

: कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष श्री @kharge

📍 महू, मध्य प्रदेश pic.twitter.com/Gbwfd0wLTV

— Congress (@INCIndia) January 27, 2025

The Congress chief, while addressing the ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan’ rally in Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow, said that the BJP leaders were competing to take a dip in the Ganga for the cameras.

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“They keep taking dips till it appears good on the camera,” Kharge said.

“Such people cannot benefit the country. Our faith is in God — people perform ‘puja’ at home every day, all women move out of their homes after performing ‘puja’, there is no issue. But we have an issue with the poor being exploited in the name of religion,” Kharge said.

Kharge also attacked the BJP and the RSS saying that they say “don’t look for Shivling under every mosque” but continue to instigate people to do so.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party responded to Kharge’s remark and accused the Congress of being “anti-Hindu”

“Such a statement against Sanatan is very shameful. Congress is mocking the sentiments of Hindus and Sanatan. The whole congress should apologise for Kharge’s remark,” BJP leader Sambit Patra said during a press conference.

“Will Congress insult other religious sentiments like they have been doing for Sanatan?” he added.

Amit Shah, took a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj around 1 pm, was joined by UP CM Yogi Adityanath, yoga guru Baba Ramdev and seers as he performed a ritual bath at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers in Kumbh city.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also took a dip separately. The home minister also held an interaction with Junapithadheeshwar Mahamandaleshwar Acharya Avdheshanand Giri Ji Maharaj and some other top seers aboard a cottage on a floating jetty.