The Hindi word baap, an informal term for father, has drawn political attention after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge used it in a remark about Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a public meeting in Patna.

Key Takeaways

  • Kharge responded to an audience member who said Modi would be difficult to dislodge.
  • The BJP demanded an apology, while Congress leader Shashi Tharoor defended the remark as a common expression.

Kharge remark prompts BJP demand

Kharge’s meeting was interrupted by an audience member who shouted that it would be difficult to remove Modi from his position. Kharge responded, “Modi ka baap bhi jayega,” an expression that literally means even Modi’s father would go.

The BJP demanded an apology. Opposition figures dismissed the remark as an everyday expression. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor told reporters that Kharge was using a common phrase and was not insulting anyone’s father.

How the Hindi word baap is used

The word appears in Hindi film dialogue and everyday expressions, where its meaning can vary with context. Amitabh Bachchan used it in films including 1988’s Shahenshah, while a dialogue in the 2023 film Pathaan also used the father-and-son motif.

Oral historian Sohail Hashmi said he could not pinpoint when such expressions entered everyday speech. He said familial insults are often used in arguments and are rarely meant literally, adding that comparable forms of slang exist in English.

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