In New Delhi, Four members of the Gandhi family have strongly and together criticized the Supreme Court’s order to pick up all stray canines in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) and put them in shelters. Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Varun Gandhi, and Maneka Gandhi have all openly denounced the policy, saying it is unworkable, inhumane, and a step backward for animal care. This is an unusual agreement among political parties.
Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi’s Position
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, called the directive a “step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy” on X (previously Twitter). He said that “blanket removals are cruel, shortsighted, and strip us of compassion,” and that “these voiceless souls are not ‘problems’ to be erased.” Rahul Gandhi pushed for humane alternatives like shelters, sterilization, vaccination, and community care to protect both people and animals.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress general secretary, agreed with her brother’s worries and said that moving all stray dogs to shelters in a matter of weeks would lead to “horrendously inhumane treatment” because there isn’t enough room in the shelters. She said that dogs are “beautiful creatures who do not deserve this kind of cruelty” and asked for a “better and humane way” to handle the problem.
What Varun and Maneka Gandhi Think
Varun Gandhi, a former BJP MP and cousin of Rahul and Priyanka, called the decree the “institutionalization of cruelty.” He wrote on X that this kind of order could set a bad example and asked, “How long before this spreads to stray cows, the poor, and illegal settlements?” He said that countries have “deeper moral crises” when they stop being empathetic.
Maneka Gandhi, Varun’s mother and an animal rights activist, said that the order was “impractical,” “financially unviable,” and “potentially harmful” to the region’s natural balance. She said that the order was based on a suo motu case, which means that the judge took it up without a formal complaint. She also said that the ruling may have been based on a report that wrongly linked a child’s death to a dog attack. She thought that rounding up Delhi’s three lakh canines would take “1,000–2,000 centers” and cost at least “₹4–5 crore,” which made the job impossible to pay for.
The Supreme Court, on the other hand, has stuck to its verdict. Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said that the situation caused by stray dog bites and rabies, especially among children, is “extremely grim.” The matter has caused a heated debate on social media, with proponents claiming concerns about public safety and others calling the ban a breach of animal rights and a logistical headache.