He interrupted Kharge, was beaten up as BJP man: Who is Santosh Kumar?

Patna: A man who interrupted Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge during an event in Patna was beaten up by party workers after his statement was allegedly misunderstood. Santosh Kumar, who was forced out of the auditorium, later said that he belonged to the Congress and had been protesting against the Narendra Modi government.

The incident took place during a programme marking the 139th birth anniversary of former Bihar Chief Minister Shri Krishna Singh. Kharge was addressing the gathering when Kumar interrupted him and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not leave office until there was a revolt in the country.

His words were apparently interpreted as a statement that Modi would not leave power. The Congress president responded from the stage, saying, "Modi ka baap bhi jayega (Even Modi’s father won’t be able to save him)."

Congress workers then confronted Kumar, assaulted him and escorted him out of the auditorium.

As he was being taken out, he questioned that why people across the country were opposing the prime minister if there was no widespread dissatisfaction with the government. He said that he had raised his objection to the policies of the Modi government and expected the Congress to take a stronger stand against it.

He alleged that the government had been playing with the interests of the country, society and its people. When journalists asked whom he believed the government was harming, he accused the Modi government of treating the country's population of around 144 crore people as a spectacle over the past 12 years.

He said that he had interrupted Kharge to convey his opposition to the government's policies. According to Kumar, the Congress is the country's second-largest political party and should lead a stronger resistance against the government.

He said that the people in the auditorium mistook him for a BJP supporter. He claimed that this misunderstanding led to the assault.

He said that he had expected the Congress to take a more forceful position against the Modi government. In his view, the Opposition would have to mount a sustained and determined challenge to bring about a change in government.

When reporters asked why Congress workers had attacked him if he was opposing the prime minister, he repeated that those present had misunderstood his remarks and assumed he belonged to the BJP.