A retort to a heckler has overtaken the substance of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s Sunday speech in Patna, shifting attention from his electoral-roll allegations to language of politics. The BJP launched nationwide protests against him on Monday.

Kharge was speaking about alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls when a young man interrupted him with “Modi nahi jayega,” meaning “Modi won’t go anywhere.”

Kharge answered, “Modi ka baap bhi jayega,” meaning “Even Modi’s father will go.”

He spoke at Patna’s Bapu Sabhagar on the 139th birth anniversary of Bihar’s first Chief Minister, Shrikrishna Singh and repeated the line three times.

Kharge criticised the Election Commission’s conduct and alleged “vote chori,” or vote theft, in West Bengal, Haryana, Bihar and Maharashtra.

He made similar claims at earlier Bihar rallies, with reports reviewed carrying no Election Commission response to Sunday’s allegations.

The BJP has focused on the remark and the party condemned it as indecent and offensive.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticised Kharge, and a complaint reached Patna’s Kotwali police station.

Police transferred it to the Gandhi Maidan station, which covers the venue.

Complainant Krishna Kumar Singh, a BJP worker, demanded an apology within 24 hours, and a later report said police had registered an FIR.

Party leaders backed Kharge after a video of the exchange spread online.

The heckler, Santosh Kumar, disputed how his words were taken.

Kumar said he wanted Modi removed and meant that Modi would not leave power until there was a revolt, adding that the hall heard only half his sentence.

Kharge’s remarks about the Prime Minister have drawn BJP outrage before.

In April, BJP president Nitin Nabin and Union ministers criticised remarks Kharge allegedly made about Modi in Tamil Nadu.

Nabin called such language a sign of frustration and demanded an apology.

The Election Commission issued Kharge a notice over comments about the Prime Minister.

Kharge clarified one remark after the uproar and expressed regret for another about Gujarat.

During last year’s Bihar campaign, spokesperson Pawan Khera accused the BJP of staging controversies to “distract the public” from vote theft.

That claim concerned a different incident, and the reports reviewed do not show the BJP orchestrated Sunday’s exchange.

Opposition parties planned a march to the Supreme Court on Monday, where Rahul Gandhi was to submit a memorandum with three demands on SIR.

Kharge has described the fight against SIR and vote theft as a struggle to protect voting rights and save democracy.

For now, the debate over political language has outpaced the debate over electoral rolls.

Whether the allegations regain attention may depend on the Supreme Court march and any Election Commission reply.