‘They can’t stand seeing me serve’: PM Modi targets Congress over ‘Modi teri kabr khudegi’ slogan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 5 launched one of his sharpest attacks yet on the Congress, accusing it of political bitterness and dynastic entitlement as he repeatedly took aim at the slogan ‘Modi teri kabr khudegi’ (Modi, your grave will be dug), raised by protesters opposed to his government.

Replying to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in the Rajya Sabha, Modi said the slogan reflected the Opposition’s inability to accept that someone outside a political family had not only reached the Prime Minister’s post but continued to remain there while pursuing what he described as a record of decisive governance.

“Those who believe the Prime Minister’s chair is reserved for their family cannot tolerate seeing me serve the country,” Modi said, linking the chant to Congress criticism of his government’s actions—from the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and counter-insurgency operations in the North-East, to the fight against Maoist extremism and Operation Sindoor targeting terror havens in Pakistan.

The Prime Minister referred to the slogan as many as 21 times during his speech. First raised publicly in 2023, it resurfaced last month during a protest at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Modi, who could not speak in the Lok Sabha on February 4 due to adjournment amid protests, also highlighted nine trade agreements finalized by his government, including deals with the European Union and the United States. These, he said, had “opened global markets” for India and positioned the country as a vishwamitra and vishwabandhu.

“The biggest beneficiaries will be the youth—whether from cities or villages, the middle class or the poor. The world is waiting for them,” he said, urging young Indians to seize emerging global opportunities. “Step forward. I am standing with you. The country is with you.”

Taking a swipe at the Congress’s past record, Modi said the word “deal” once evoked the Bofors scandal under its rule. The Opposition repeatedly interrupted his speech before staging a walkout, prompting the Prime Minister to urge them to return to their seats and protest while allowing him to speak.

Escalating his attack, Modi said attempts to threaten or abuse him would fail. “This man enjoys the blessings of millions of mothers and sisters. Try as hard as you can, you will never be able to dig Modi’s grave,” he said, accusing the Congress of corruption, dynastic politics and even “stealing the Gandhi surname”.

Mocking Rahul Gandhi’s slogan of ‘mohabbat ki dukaan’ (shop of love), Modi asked how calls to dig a fellow Indian’s grave fit that narrative. He said abuse against him had continued uninterrupted for 25 years, adding that his resilience came from “eating two kilos of abuse daily”.

Listing policy moves that, he claimed, unsettled the Opposition, Modi cited the scrapping of Article 370, security operations against Pakistan-based terror groups, action against Maoist extremism and the decision to put the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance. “That is why they want to dig Modi’s grave,” he said repeatedly.

Drawing a contrast between his government and previous Congress regimes, Modi said slogans like Garibi Hatao failed to deliver real change, while his administration focused on empowerment, electricity for 18,000 previously unconnected villages, startup promotion and defense modernization.

“My government too is remote-controlled,” he said. “But my remote is the 140 crore people of India. Power for me is not for pleasure, it is for seva.”

Modi also accused the Opposition of disrespecting constitutional norms and the President, alleging that protests in the Lok Sabha insulted an Adivasi woman President and members from the North-East and Dalit communities. He cited objections raised by the Congress when Assamese icon Bhupen Hazarika was awarded the Bharat Ratna, calling it an insult Assam would not forget.

Referring to an exchange involving Rahul Gandhi and Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu, Modi said calling an MP a traitor because he is Sikh reflected deep prejudice. “How can anyone accept a Sikh being called a traitor—especially one whose family sacrificed for the country?” he asked.

In a historical comparison, Modi recalled remarks attributed to Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi describing India’s population as a “problem”. “That is the difference between them and us,” he said. “They saw problems. We see 140 crore solutions.”

The speech, marked by confrontation and walkouts, underscored the widening divide between the government and the Opposition, setting the tone for a combative political season ahead of key Assembly elections.