Responding to Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath’s provocative remarks about his father and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Karnataka Rural Development Minister Priyank Kharge said that his father “never used tragedy for political gain.” Condemning the Uttar Pradesh CM, Priyank said that the Congress president never let hatred define him.
On November 13, at a campaign rally in Maharashtra, Adityanath alleged that the Congress president had “conveniently forgotten” that his mother and sister were killed by the Razakars, accusing him of “suppressing history” to avoid losing Muslim votes.
Reacting to this, Priyank Kharge said, “Yes, the Razakars burned down Kharge’s house, taking the lives of his mother and sister. Despite this tragedy, he never exploited it for political gain, never played the victim card, and never allowed hatred to define him. It was the Razakars who committed this act—not the entire Muslim community. Every community has individuals who do wrong.” He added, “Take your hate elsewhere. You cannot bulldoze his [Kharge’s] principles or ideology.”
Mallikarjun Kharge’s family was a victim of the Razakars, a brutal militia that served the Nizam of Hyderabad and violently targeted communities opposing the Nizam’s rule during India’s independence struggle. As the Razakars sought to keep Hyderabad State independent, they left a legacy of terror, displacing and devastating families, including Kharge’s own.
After Hyderabad was integrated into India in 1948 through “Operation Polo,” the Razakars were disbanded. Yet, recent narratives—especially promoted by the BJP—have portrayed their violence as part of a targeted “genocide” against Hindus under Muslim rule. Last year, BJP in Telangana even released a film on the Razakars, falsely claiming that they had carried out a “genocide” of Hindus.
In line with this narrative, Adityanath claimed at the rally, “Kharge’s village, Varawatti, was burned down by Razakars. His mother and sister died in the attacks. Congress is rejecting history, and Kharge has conveniently forgotten his family’s tragedy for vote-bank politics.”
Condemning the communal undertone of Adityanath’s comments, Priyank added, “He [Kharge] narrowly escaped, rose to become a nine-time MLA, twice a Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MP, a Union minister, the Leader of the Lok Sabha, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and the elected president of the Congress party.”
He further challenged Adityanath’s views, saying, “Your ideology fails to see Kharge as an equal; it discriminates among human beings. Does that make the entire community bad, or only those who practice such discrimination? Who labeled him ‘untouchable’ or Dalit? The presence of a discriminatory ideology doesn’t make everyone in a community wrong.”
Priyank also affirmed Kharge’s commitment to justice, saying he is “fighting tirelessly to uphold the values of Buddha, Basavanna, and Ambedkar, and to protect the Constitution from the tyranny and hatred you seek to instill. He will continue this fight with unwavering conviction.”
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