The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused Congress MP Rahul Gandhi of giving a biscuit to a party worker after his dog rejected. The incident reportedly took place during Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra (BJY) in Jharkhand. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media, in which Gandhi can be seen offering the biscuit to the party worker after his pet dog, Pidi, refuses to eat it. The BJP has slammed Rahul Gandhi for the incident, with party IT cell chief Amit Malviya saying that it is "shameful" that the Congress leader would treat his party workers like "dogs."
"Just a few days ago, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge compared the party's booth agents to dogs. And here, Rahul Gandhi is feeding a biscuit to a dog during his yatra. But the dog didn't eat the biscuit, after which he gave the same biscuit to one of his party workers," Malviya tweeted.
The BJP's attack on Gandhi comes days after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was accused of making an "insulting" remark about party workers. In a video that went viral on social media, Kharge can be heard saying that "booth agents are like dogs" and that they should be "kept on a leash." Kharge's remarks have drawn widespread criticism, with even some Congress leaders calling them "unacceptable."
The Congress has, however, defended Kharge, saying that his remarks were taken out of context. "Kharge was only trying to emphasize the importance of booth agents in the party's electoral success," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said. The incidents involving Gandhi and Kharge have highlighted the growing rift within the Congress party. With the party facing a series of electoral defeats, there is a growing sense of dissatisfaction with the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.The BJP, meanwhile, is looking to capitalize on the Congress's internal turmoil by further attacking the party leadership.