Demeaning portrayal of Rahul Gandhi on X; Congress cadre attempt to lay siege to BJP offices

Police detained Congress cadre as they tried to lay siege to the BJP office here on Friday in protest against the degrading portrayal of party leader Rahul Gandhi on social media platform.

The BJP released recently on social media platform X a caricature portraying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as ten-headed Ravana, the mythical King of Sri Lanka, ‘evil’, ‘anti-dharma’ and ‘anti-Ram’ and the caption accused that Mr. Rahul’s aim was to destroy ‘Bharat’ (India). The Congress and its supporters reacted sharply saying that the multi-headed ruler of the island nation was an unflinching devotee of Lord Mahadev. Some of them, in retaliation, shared the covers of a few leading magazines, on which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been portrayed as ‘Hero of hatred’, ‘Master Divider’ and ‘Riding on hate wave’.

Even as the war of words is going on the social media platform, the Congress cadre announced that they, in protest against depicting their leader as ‘Rakshasa’, would lay siege to the BJP offices in every district across Tamil Nadu. Led by Tirunelveli city district president of the Congress K. Sankarapandian, they staged demonstration in front of the party office and tried to take out a march from their party office near District Science Centre to the BJP’s office on South Bypass Road on Friday evening, when they were detained by the police.

The police arrested 35 protestors, including 12 women, and took them to a private marriage hall.

“Even though we are an ally of the ruling DMK, Chief Minister M. K. Stalin-led government does not allow us to show our displeasure through agitations. Since our party leader has been demeaned by the BJP, everyone including Mr. Stalin should condemn it. Instead, the protesting Congress cadre are being suppressed”, Mr. Sankarapandian said.

In Thoothukudi, the police arrested 15 Congress cadre as they, led by party’s Thoothukudi town district president C.S. Muralidharan tried to march towards the BJP office after assembling near the Tamil Nadu Housing Board apartments.