Hyderabad (Telangana), February 26 : Telangana BJP Chief N Ramchander Rao has hit back at Rahul Gandhi over his recent remarks, saying that the term "coward" better applies to the Congress party and not others.
Responding to Gandhi's statement made during an interaction with Kotdwar resident Deepak Kumar at a programme in Himachal Pradesh, Rao alleged that the Congress failed to curb terrorism when it was in power.
"At a programme in Himachal Pradesh, Rahul Gandhi said, these people are cowards; they will do nothing. The word coward actually applies to the Congress Party. When they were in power, they could not stop terrorism, and they promoted communalism and hatred. The Congress Party should introspect on its own performance over the past several years," Rao told ANI.
The Telangana BJP chief further criticised the Congress party's track record, asserting that it had weakened national security during its tenure and was now attempting to shift blame through political statements.
The remarks come amid continuing political exchanges between the BJP and Congress leaders over issues of governance and national security.
Earlier on Wednesday, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, following his meeting with gym trainer Deepak Kumar, praised him for his "courage and patriotism."
Sharing a video of their meeting on X, Gandhi wrote, "The ideology of harmony and love resides in the hearts of millions of Indians, but there is also fear in their mindsDeepak has shown the path to all of them with his courage.
"He further stated, "Those who try to spread hate and intimidate society are, in truth, cowardsnever fear them. Deepak has defended our tricolor and our Constitution. He stood firm against hate, protected the weak There is no greater patriotism than this."
{{{{twitter_post_id####}}}}करोड़ों भारतीयों के दिलों में सद्भाव और मोहब्बत की विचारधारा है, मगर मन में भय भी है - दीपक ने उन सभी को अपने साहस से राह दिखाई है।
जो लोग नफ़रत फैलाकर समाज को डराने की कोशिश करते हैं, वो दरअसल कायर होते हैं - उनसे कभी भी डरो मत।
दीपक ने हमारे तिरंगे और संविधान की रक्षा की है।… pic.twitter.com/lk3IMlk8x8
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 25, 2026
Earlier on Monday, Rahul Gandhi met with Deepak, who was in the news for coming to the defence of Ahmed's Baba School Dress & Matching Centre in Kotdwar last month.
The incident occurred on January 26, when a group of people demanded that the shopkeeper change the name of his shop. A dispute arose when he refused to comply with their demand. A gym trainer, Deepak Kumar, reportedly confronted the mob, after which protests broke out on January 31.
Police had registered FIRs based on video footage and urged people not to sensationalise the incident on social media. Pauri Garhwal SSP Sarvesh Panwar said that police have registered cases based on complaints by both parties.
He toldthat on January 31, the protestors approached Deepak Kumar and blocked the road.SSP Panwar said, "On January 26, a dispute arose between two parties over a disagreement about changing the name of a shop. We received complaints from both sides, and we registered FIRs. On January 31, some outsiders came to Deepak's place and blocked the road. The police took suo motu cognisance of the matter and registered a case against them. I urge and appeal to everyone not to disrupt the peace or disturb communal harmony. We will take strict legal action against anyone found guilty.
"Meanwhile, Gym Trainer Deepak Kumar said the issue escalated into communal tensions after a group of boys misbehaved toward the shopkeeper. Deepak questioned the case filed against him, claiming that the other party started the dispute.
Deepak Kumar told ANI, "My friends and I were celebrating Republic Day when we went to one of our friends' shops. Some boys came to the shop and started misbehaving with the shopkeeper over the shop's name. I asked them to stop misbehaving, but they replied that in their religion, the word 'Baba' is only used for Sidhbali Baba, and for no one else, and that the shopkeeper would have to change the shop's name. The shopkeeper refused, and the argument escalated into a communal issue.
""The boys were from the Bajrang Dal, and the shop belonged to a Muslim. So I said, 'My name is Mohammed Deepak, what's it to you?' I don't understand why a case was filed against me when the entire fight was started by the other side. We don't support any political party, but rather an ideology. Hanuman is an ideal for every gym member because he inspires hard work," the gym trainer added.
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