The political spat between Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intensified on Thursday following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Chief Justice DY Chandrachud’s residence for Ganesh Chaturthi. The Congress criticized the BJP’s defense of the visit, asserting that the comparison drawn with a past Iftar party hosted by then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was flawed.
The BJP, led by spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, had countered the opposition’s criticism by recalling an event from the UPA era. Poonawalla shared a photograph of Singh and then-Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan at an Iftar party, asserting that attending Ganesh puja at the Chief Justice’s home should not be considered a crime. He argued that Congress’s reaction was reminiscent of Rahul Gandhi’s past criticism of the Supreme Court.
In response, the Congress Mumbai unit took to social media to refute the comparison. The party posted images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Ganesh puja and Singh at the Iftar party, emphasizing the distinction between a public event and a private religious gathering. The Congress highlighted that the Iftar was a public event with media coverage, whereas the Ganesh puja was a private, religious ceremony held away from public scrutiny. They accused the BJP of conflating the two events to mislead the public, criticizing their understanding of transparency and propriety in the separation of powers.
The opposition had previously expressed concerns over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Chief Justice’s residence, with RJD leader and Rajya Sabha MP noting that it sent an “uncomfortable message.” Sanjay Raut, an aide to former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, even suggested that the Chief Justice should recuse himself from legal matters involving political factions, citing potential doubts over the propriety of the visit.
The BJP responded sharply to these criticisms. Union Minister Bhupender Yadav argued that those who had previously supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attendance at Iftar parties should not object to his presence at a Ganesh puja. He defended the visit as a reflection of Indian secularism, highlighting that both the executive and judiciary participating in religious ceremonies demonstrated the strength of Indian secular values.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had shared a photograph of himself with the Chief Justice and his wife, Kalpana Das, on social media, wishing everyone happiness and prosperity during the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. The visit has become a focal point in ongoing political debates about the boundaries of public and private interactions between political leaders and judicial figures.
