Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has expressed shock over media reports regarding physical threats made against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. In a statement on Wednesday, September 18, Stalin urged the Union government to ensure protection for Rahul. Over the past week, leaders from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have reportedly issued threats to Rahul and the Congress had also filed police complaints in this regard.
“Deeply shocked by media reports of a BJP leader’s threat that @RahulGandhi ‘will meet the same fate as his grandmother,’ and a Shinde Sena MLA’s bounty for cutting his tongue, along with other intimidating threats. My brother Rahul Gandhi’s charisma and growing public support have clearly unsettled many, leading to such vile acts of intimidation. The Union government must act swiftly to ensure protection for the Leader of the Opposition and reaffirm that intimidation and violence have no place in our democracy,” Stalin said.
The issue started on September 11, 2024, after BJP leader Tarvinder Singh Marwah issued an assassination threat openly at a BJP event. In a clipping of the video shared by the Congress, he is seen saying, “You better behave, or you will meet the same fate as your grandmother [Indira Gandhi]”.
Following this, on September 15, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu called Rahul “number 1 terrorist”. His comment was made after Rahul spoke with Indian Americans in Washington DC about pluralism in India. In the meeting, he accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of considering some religions, languages and communities as inferior to certain others. He had also reportedly addressed the Sikh attendees and said, “The fight is about whether a Sikh is going to be allowed to wear his turban in India or a kada in India. Or he, as a Sikh, is going to be able to go to Gurdwara. That's what the fight is about. And not just for him, for all religions.”
Minister Bittu alleged, “They (separatists) and the most-wanted persons are also appreciating Rahul Gandhi for his remarks against Sikhs. When such people, who are also experts in manufacturing bombs, are supporting Rahul Gandhi, then he is the number one terrorist of the country. He is talking like a separatist. There should be a reward for catching him as he is the biggest enemy of the country.”
On September 16, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde group) MLA Sanjay Gaikwad said that he would give an award of Rs 11 lakh to anyone who will “chop off the tongue” of Rahul Gandhi for saying that reservations would be scrapped in India when the time is right. In yet another meeting in the US, Rahul had said, “We will think of scrapping reservations when India is a fair place. And India is not a fair place.” Taking exception to this comment, Gaikwad alleged, “During Lok Sabha elections, he created a fake narrative of the Constitution being in danger to gain votes. Now he is speaking of ending reservation, this shows the real face of Congress. I am posing a challenge. Whoever cuts off Rahul Gandhi’s tongue will be awarded with Rs 11 lakh.”
The Congress had filed a police complaint against these three threats.