The Congress party on Monday, September 29, 2025, escalated its condemnation of the BJP-RSS, asserting that those losing the ideological battle are actively ‘hatching a conspiracy’ to silence the Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi. This strong statement comes in the wake of controversial remarks made by a former ABVP leader targeting Mr. Gandhi.
The opposition party specifically highlighted what it described as a ‘chilling and heinous’ death threat directed at Rahul Gandhi by Printu Mahadev, a former State president of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which is the student wing of the RSS.
Pawan Khera, head of the Congress’ media and publicity department, emphasized the seriousness of the situation, stating, ‘A BJP spokesperson said on TV that ‘Rahul Gandhi will be shot in the chest’ and no action has been taken.’ He also raised concerns about the politicization of Mr. Gandhi’s security, referencing a letter from the CRPF to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge regarding Mr. Gandhi’s safety that was reportedly leaked. Khera questioned, ‘So why is his security being politicized and such an environment being created?’
Khera stressed that these incidents ‘stink of a conspiracy’ and demanded to know who was behind it. He argued, ‘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.’
He further added, ‘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 now that your time has passed,’ referring to Mr. Gandhi’s allegations of ‘vote chori’ against the BJP. Khera affirmed that the Congress would not permit such individuals to resort to violence, asserting that the nation is well aware of the conspiracy and its orchestrators.
In a post on X, the Congress leader reiterated his concerns: ‘Every time the RSS fails to defeat the ideology of India, their foot soldiers resort to physical violence. And a Godse kills Gandhi. Now, when BJP is losing the ideological battle, their spokespersons and leaders are threatening to kill Rahul Gandhi.’
‘A conspiracy is afoot to silence the voice of millions of poor, marginalized & weaker sections. There’s a conspiracy to silence Rahul Gandhi,’ Khera declared.
Separately, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal had written to Home Minister Mr. Shah on Sunday, September 28, 2025, regarding the former ABVP leader’s incendiary remarks during a televised debate. Venugopal warned that a failure to take swift action would be perceived as ‘complicity and normalization of violence’ against the Leader of Opposition.
Mr. Venugopal asserted that Mr. Mahadev, identified as a BJP spokesperson, made the remarks on a Malayalam channel. ‘In a brazen act of incitement of violence, Mr 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 stated.
He emphasized that ‘such poisonous words 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.’ Venugopal urged Mr. Shah to ‘clarify what your party and the government stands for’ and to address whether they ‘openly endorse the politics of criminal intimidation, death threats and violence that are poisoning India’s public life.’
A death threat against Rahul Gandhi, Mr. Venugopal concluded, ‘is not merely an attack on an individual but an assault on the democratic spirit he represents.’ He characterized the threat not as a ‘careless outburst of a petty functionary,’ but as ‘symptomatic of a deliberately cultivated, toxic atmosphere of hate that renders the LoP vulnerable to mindless violence.’
Venugopal further warned, ‘any failure by you to act swiftly, decisively and publicly will be judged as complicity — a de facto license for the legitimization and normalization of violence against the Leader of Opposition and a grave breach of your oath as the Union home minister.’ The nation, he stressed, ‘demands immediate, exemplary legal action through the state police so that justice is swift, visible and severe.’