Bhopal: BJP Mounts Mass Protest Over Kharge Remarks as Urban Bodies Face Procurement Probe

Bhopal saw coordinated political action this week as the state BJP's Core Committee passed a formal resolution condemning Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for his remarks about Prime Minister Modi's father, and party workers marched on the Congress party office. At the same time, urban local bodies across Madhya Pradesh came under government scrutiny after the Urban Development and Housing Department flagged significant pricing anomalies in public procurement records spanning three years, with the Additional Chief Secretary issuing direct warnings to municipal officials at a Bhopal review meeting.

🗳️ Core Committee Condemns Kharge at CM's Residence

The New Indian Express reported that the Bhopal BJP unit mounted a significant protest on October 26, 2026, against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's father. The state party's formal response came through its Core Committee, which convened at the official residence of Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav in Bhopal. The gathering of senior party leaders culminated in the Core Committee passing a formal resolution condemning what party members characterized as insulting remarks against the Prime Minister's father. The resolution signaled a strong and organized political rebuke from the state BJP leadership, moving beyond individual statements to a collective party-level condemnation. After the Core Committee meeting concluded, BJP national vice-president Lal Singh Arya led party workers in a march through Bhopal, joined by MLAs Rameshwar Sharma and Bhagwan Das Sabnani. The march made its way to the state Congress party headquarters, where demonstrators gathered in a show of organized opposition to Kharge's comments. Photographs published in conjunction with the report showed BJP workers assembled at the Congress office in Bhopal. The demonstration underscored the intensity of the political controversy triggered by Kharge's remarks, with the Madhya Pradesh BJP choosing both a formal resolution and a street-level protest to express their strong collective objection. [3]

🗳️ MLA Sabnani Tells Congress: Avoid Such Language

ANI reported from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, that BJP workers staged a protest march on Monday, October 26, marching toward the Congress party's office in the city. The protest was organized in direct response to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the protest, MLA Bhagwan Das Sabnani emerged as a prominent voice from the BJP side, directly addressing the media with a pointed rebuke of Kharge's manner of speech. Sabnani's message was blunt and clear: 'Avoid using such language,' he told reporters, calling on senior political leaders to exercise greater restraint and responsibility in public discourse. The slogan-raising procession of BJP workers moved through Bhopal before converging outside the Congress party headquarters, with the march representing the party's street-level protest against Kharge's comments regarding the Prime Minister. ANI's correspondent on the ground documented the procession, capturing visuals of BJP workers marching in numbers through the streets of Bhopal. ANI's report captured both the protest activity and the specific verbal response from MLA Sabnani, whose 'Avoid using such language' statement became the clearest BJP articulation of the objection to Kharge's remarks about Prime Minister Modi. The organized demonstration reflected strong sentiment among Madhya Pradesh BJP workers over the Congress president's choice of words. [7]

MP Urban Bodies Under Scanner for Procurement Anomalies

The New Indian Express reported that urban local bodies across Madhya Pradesh have come under government scrutiny after significant anomalies in procurement pricing were discovered in their purchasing records. The report revealed that discrepancies in prices paid for goods and services by various ULBs over a period spanning the past three years were identified and flagged by senior officials of the state's Urban Development and Housing Department. The anomalies came to official attention at a recent high-level review meeting in Bhopal, where departmental officials convened with representatives from multiple urban local bodies across Madhya Pradesh to address the concerns. At the meeting, the Additional Chief Secretary responsible for oversight issued firm warnings to municipal officials in attendance. The ACS cautioned those present that the price irregularities discovered in procurement records could attract disciplinary consequences, making clear the state government would not overlook what the report described as huge differences in purchase prices. The fact that similar or identical items were acquired at vastly different prices by different ULBs raised serious questions about procurement discipline within the urban administration system. The Urban Development and Housing Department's decision to flag these anomalies formally, with the Additional Chief Secretary personally warning officials, signals that Madhya Pradesh's state government intends to hold urban local body procurement processes to stricter account going forward. [9]

Sources: [3] The New Indian Express · [7] ANI News · [9] The New Indian Express