Tejashwi Yadav hits back at PM, says his remarks on mother’s insult a ‘dikhawati’

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday (September 3, 2025) termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks against the Opposition over the alleged insult to his mother as “Dikhawati [show off]”. He also questioned the timing of the Prime Minster’s remarks.

He said Mr. Modi had in the past spoken about Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s “DNA” and referred to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s wife as “50 crore ki girlfriend”, besides insulting Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.

Mr. Yadav’s comment came a day after the Prime Minister slammed the RJD and Congress over an alleged insult to his mother during the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Darbhanga on August 27. A youth was arrested for making the remarks.

“Everyone has a mother and nobody should ever use abusive language against anyone’s mother. We do not support such acts, but the question is, why did the Prime Minister campaign for Prajwal Revanna [former MP convicted in a rape case recently],” Mr. Yadav asked.

He further said, “It was Modiji who said ‘50 crore ki girlfriend’ and used abusive language against Sonia Gandhiji... was it appropriate for the Prime Minister to speak on Nitish Kumar’s DNA? BJP legislators have insulted my mother and sister on the floor of the Bihar Assembly. Several times, BJP spokespersons have insulted mothers and sisters on camera.”

Mr. Yadav also raised questions on the timing of Mr. Modi’s statement. He said Mr. Modi had visited foreign countries after the remarks were made and could be seen laughing when he was abroad, but began crying once he returned to India.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly alleged that the BJP was a party that respected and honoured leaders who abused women. Mr. Yadav said even recently, a leader who had joined BJP had threatened RJD spokesperson Sarika Paswan that she would be paraded naked on the streets.

Mr. Modi had on Tuesday (September 2, 2025) lashed out at the Opposition during a video address from New Delhi, saying that the remarks on his mother were an insult to the mothers of the country, including those in Bihar. He further accused the RJD of shielding criminals during its rule. Without naming Mr. Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, he had said the “young princes” could not understand the pain of a poor mother.

Mr. Yadav, however, took a dig at the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parties in Bihar for calling a State-wide bandh on Thursday (September 4, 2025) to protest the insult to Mr. Modi’s mother.

“It’s strange that the ruling government has called for a State-wide bandh. These people have nothing to say after the huge support shown by the people of Bihar for the Voter Adhikar Yatra. They are restless after seeing the huge crowds. Moreover, they were caught stealing the votes, “Mr. Yadav said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Yadav held a closed-door meeting with his MLAs and other leaders in the district and block levels at his official residence over the upcoming election. The meeting lasted for two hours, in which Mr. Yadav asked the MLAs to work on the ground and ensure that genuine names were not deleted and fake voters were not enrolled during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.