A First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged against Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for allegedly “deliberately giving anti-national statements which hurt each and every Indian national.”
The case has been registered at the Jharsuguda Town police station in Odisha under Sections 152 and 197(1)(d) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The complaint was filed by Rama Hari Pujhari, a resident of Sarbahal, Jharsuguda, along with members of BJP Yuva Morcha, RSS, Bajrang Dal, and the BJP legal cell of Jharsuguda district.
According to the FIR, “The statement of Rahul Gandhi has crossed the limits of freedom of speech. By declaring his fight against the Indian State itself, he has consciously incited subversive activities and rebellion among the populace. The activities have undermined the sovereignty and integrity of India.”
The controversy stems from remarks made by Rahul Gandhi on January 15, 2025, during the inauguration of the Congress Party’s new headquarters at Kotla Road in Delhi. During his speech, Gandhi stated:
“Our ideology, like the RSS ideology, is thousands of years old and it has been fighting the RSS ideology for thousands of years. Do not think that we are fighting a fair fight. There is no fairness in this. If you believe that we are fighting a political organisation called the BJP or RSS, you have not understood what is going on. The BJP and the RSS have captured every single institution of our country. We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian State itself.”
Following the complaint, the police have launched an investigation into the matter. The development has further fueled the ongoing political tensions between the Congress and the ruling BJP, with reactions pouring in from both sides of the political spectrum.
The Congress has yet to officially respond to the FIR. Meanwhile, BJP leaders have condemned Gandhi’s remarks, calling them a “direct attack on national integrity.”
This legal action adds another layer of controversy to the political landscape, setting the stage for heightened tensions between the opposition and the ruling party as India heads into a crucial election season.