'Rahul Gandhi Will Be Shot In Chest’: BJP Spokesperson Booked For Alleged Death Threat To LoP

New Delhi: Kerala Police on Monday registered a case against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and spokesperson in the state, Pintu Mahadev, for his alleged 'death threat' that bullets would be fired at Congress MP and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.

The case was filed by the Peramangalam police based on a complaint from Kerala Congress Secretary Sreekumar C C.

Mahadev, a former ABVP leader, made the remarks during a debate on a private news channel, while discussing protests in Bangladesh and Nepal on September 26. “In the popular protests in Bangladesh, the people were not with them (the government) there. Here, in India, the people are with the Narendra Modi government. Therefore, if Rahul Gandhi sets out with such a desire or dream, a bullet will fall even on Rahul Gandhi's chest," he said in Malayalam.

A clip of the debate was shared by Congress leader KC Venugopal on X, and he wrote, “Disagreements in the political arena must be solved politically, within the constitutional framework. BJP leaders, however, are giving death threats to their political opponents on live TV. Surely, Rahul Gandhi Ji’s vehement fight against the RSS-BJP ideology has rattled them.”

Following the BJP leader's controversial remarks, Congress strongly condemned the BJP. The party had also shot a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah demanding “exemplary” legal action against Mahadev.

“The BJP has crossed all limits. 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,” the party said.

In an X post, Congress wrote, “Does the BJP endorse the politics of criminal intimidation, violence and even death threats?”

“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!” it said.

The party asked if the remarks were part of a “larger, sinister conspiracy” being hatched against Gandhi.

In the letter to Shah, Congress called the threat “cold, calculated and chilling” and demanded urgent action, warning that failure to do so would amount to “a de facto licence” for legitimising violence against Rahul Gandhi.

“This is neither a slip of the tongue nor careless hyperbole. It is a cold, calculated and chilling death threat against the leader of the opposition and one of India's foremost political leaders.”

“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 the opposition and a grave breach of your oath as Union home minister,” it said.

The letter also pointed to multiple previous threats against Rahul Gandhi on social media, some linked to the BJP.

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