NEW DELHI: Congress on Monday fumed at the BJP over the death threat issued to leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi by the ruling party’s spokesperson Pintu Mahadev saying that larger sinister conspiracy being hatcvhed against the Gandhi scion and demanded immediate action.
The Congress slammed the BJP’s Kerala spokesperson Pintu Mahadev threat to Rahul Gandhi, a former state president of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the RSS.
In a post on X, the Congress said, “The BJP has crossed all limits. The Indian National Congress strongly condemns the heinous death threat issued to LoP Rahul Gandhi on live television by BJP spokesperson Pintu Mahadev.”
It said that “this is no off-the-cuff remark or hyperbole”.
“This is a cold and calculated death threat to a leader who stands with every Indian in the fight for justice. This is a direct assault on the rule of law, on the Constitution that guarantees safety and security to every citizen and to democracy itself! The latest, one of the several threats issued to Rahul ji on various occasions, raises serious questions about the intent of the BJP,” it said:
Firing salvos at the BJP, the Congress asked, “Is this a larger, sinister conspiracy being hatched against the people’s leader, Rahul Gandhi? Does the BJP endorse the politics of criminal intimidation, violence and even death threats? Is the BJP trying to normalise violence against the LoP, a constitutional position, and other Opposition leaders who raise their voice against its misgovernance?”
“The Congress party and the entire nation demand — Immediate and exemplary action against Pintu Mahadev by the state police, a categorical condemnation and public apology from the BJP leadership,” it said, adding that if the BJP fails to do so, the nation will have every reason to believe that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are complicit in this despicable act.
“Rahul Gandhi ji’s fearless fight against the RSS-BJP ideology has rattled them. However, no threat or violence will deter him from standing up for the people of India and defending the Constitution,” the Congress said, adding, “The nation stands united against any intimidation or tyranny. The more you threaten us, the stronger our resolve becomes,” the Congress added.
Meanwhile, Congress media and publicity departmwent chairman Pawan Khera and Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi also slammed the BJP for the death threat to Rahul Gandhi, the former Congrerss chief.
Khera in a video statement said, ” “A BJP spokesperson said on TV that ‘Rahul Gandhi will be shot in the chest’ and no action has been taken.” “Before this CRPF wrote a letter to (Congress chief Mallikarjun) Kharge ji on Rahul Gandhi’s safety and leaked it. So why is his security being politicised and such an environment being created.”
This stinks of a conspiracy, he said and asked who is hatching this conspiracy.
“They are the same people who are losing the ideological battle, who do not have the weapons of ideas to defeat counter ideas. This conspiracy has to be exposed. First you tried to silence Rahul Gandhi with abuses and now you are threatening him with bullets.
“You are not able to digest the fact that people from Kashmir to Kanyakumari are getting attracted to the issues raised by Mr. Gandhi. Your theft has been caught red handed, you know it now that your time has passed,” Khera said while referring to allegations of “vote chori” levelled by Rahul Gandhi against the BJP.
He also stressed that the Congress will not allow such people to take recourse to violence.
“The country is aware who is hatching the conspiracy and what it is,” Khera added.
Meanwhile, Pratapgarhi also took a pot shot at tyhe BJP and in a video statement said, “BJP spokesperson Pintu Mahadev threatens to shoot Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi in the chest on a TV channel. In the same way Mahatma Gandhi was shot, and Indira Gandhi’s chest was riddled with bullets.
He also questioned the Prime Minister and the Home Minister,and said that the entire country is silent and the official people of BJP are threatening Rahul Gandhi every day, “are preparations underway to kill him”?
He also said that the country wants to know what action (BJP President JP) Nadda is taking against the murderous mentality leaders of his party.
Even Congress social media and digital platforms Supriya Shrinate in a video statement said, “This is not the first BJP member who is saying this – earlier one of these people had talked about cutting his tongue, someone had announced a reward for beheading him, someone had even cited the cowardly murder of Indira Gandhi.”
On Sunday, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal wrote to Shah over the former ABVP leader’s controversial remarks targeting the Rae Bareli MP during a television debate, saying a failure to act against him swiftly will be judged as complicity and normalisation of violence against the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha.
Venugopal claimed that Mahadev is a spokesperson of the BJP and made the remarks during a televised debate on a Malayalam channel.
“In a brazen act of incitement of violence, Mahadev openly declared that ‘Rahul Gandhi will be shot in the chest’. This is neither a slip of tongue, nor careless hyperbole. It is a cold, calculated and chilling death threat against the Leader of Opposition and one of India’s foremost political leaders,” Venugopal alleged.
“That such poisonous words are uttered by an official spokesperson of the ruling party not only places the life of Rahul Gandhi in immediate danger, but also undermines the Constitution, rule of law, and the basic security assurances owed to every citizen – let alone the Leader of Opposition,” the Congress leader said.
He also said that it is now your (Shah) responsibility to clarify what your party and the government stands for. “Do you openly endorse the politics of criminal intimidation, death threats and violence that are poisoning India’s public life,” Venugopal asked.
Venugopal also said that the death threat against Rahul Gandhi is not merely an attack on an individual but an assault on the democratic spirit he represents. “This threat is not just a careless outburst of a petty functionary; it is symptomatic of a deliberately cultivated, toxic atmosphere of hate that renders the LoP vulnerable to mindless violence.
“As such, any failure by you to act swiftly, decisively and publicly will be judged as complicity — a de facto licence for the legitimisation and normalisation of violence against the Leader of Opposition and a grave breach of your oath as the Union home minister,” Venugopal said.
The nation demands immediate, exemplary legal action through the state police so that justice is swift, visible and severe, he said.
