‘Every line of decency crossed’: Huge uproar over Rahul Gandhi's hug dig at govt's foreign policy

Himanta Biswa Sarma said Rahul's remarks were not merely politically indecent but also an attempt to sabotage India's foreign relations.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's recent remarks against the government's foreign diplomacy has triggered huge uproar, with several senior BJP leaders condemning the “indecent” language.

Rahul Gandhi was seen hugging Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit in an apparent dig at the government's foreign policy. (PTI)

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accused Rahul Gandhi and the party of crossing “every line of decency” over remarks made during a Congress event involving Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Sarma said the remarks were not only politically indecent but also an attempt to damage India’s foreign relations. He made the comments in a post on X while reacting to Gandhi’s remarks at the Rachnatmak Congress National Convention.

“Congress' dynastic leadership has once again crossed every line of decency - making objectionable remarks about a woman head of state who leads a friendly country, while women on the stage and in the audience laugh along,” Sarma said.

What Rahul Gandhi said

Gandhi criticised the Narendra Modi government’s foreign policy, saying the Prime Minister’s job was to protect India’s interests rather than focus on “mere friendships” and public displays of warmth.

“You aren't just visiting a friend's house. In this role, the Prime Minister of India doesn't engage in mere friendship. They have no interest in friendship; their job is to protect the country,” Gandhi said.

“I don't know where it came from; this idea got into their heads. I don't know who put it there or where it came from, the idea that foreign policy means hugging politicians,” he added.

Gandhi then hugged Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on stage to demonstrate his point about the Modi government’s diplomatic approach.

Dikshit subsequently asked Gandhi if he had hugged him “thinking he was Meloni (Italian PM Georgia Meloni)”, to which Gandhi replied, “I have not reached there yet.”

BJP hits back

BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan called Gandhi’s act a “shameful stunt” and accused him of making “vulgar insinuations” against Modi’s foreign policy.

“Rahul Gandhi's shameful stunt and the vulgar insinuations against PM Modi's foreign policy only reflect the third-rate, filthy politics of Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi's most uncivilised and crude antics exposed the debased, degenerated and twisted mentality of the entire Congress leadership,” Kesavan said.

He added that if Gandhi wanted to discuss foreign policy, he should first talk about Jawaharlal Nehru’s tenure as foreign minister, which he described as being “riddled” with fiascos and failures.

BJP MP and spokesperson Sambit Patra also hit out at Gandhi. “The level of Rahul Gandhi’s language and political conduct is deteriorating day by day. The kind of objectionable and indecent language used against constitutional and esteemed figures such as the country’s Prime Minister and Italy’s Head of State is shameful for any civilized democratic and political culture,”

RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha said Gandhi’s remarks should be viewed in the context of the political message he was trying to convey, but called Dikshit’s comment inappropriate.

“Look at its political message. Often, when a political message goes into the custody of language, the message veers off in another direction, but fundamentally, it was a political message, and it should be viewed in that context,” Jha said.

On Dikshit’s remark, he said, “This is entirely inappropriate, indecent. I'm not saying this just today. I've been consistently writing about this. Can't opposition be dignified, can't competition be decorous... Generally speaking, such remarks about women are not appropriate in our public life...”

(With inputs from agencies)