Former Congress MP Shakeel Ahmad has claimed threats to his life days after launching a scathing attack on senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, whom he described as a “darpok” (coward) and “insecure”.
Ahmad claimed that he had been “secretly informed” by some of his Congress colleagues about orders from the party’s national leadership. He further alleged that instructions were issued to “carry out an attack” at his residences in Patna and Madhubani on Tuesday.
"An attack should be carried out on my residences in Patna and Madhubani under the pretext of burning an effigy. This is against the principles of democracy," he wrote on X.
In another post on the social media platform X, Ahmad said, “Now my information has been proven absolutely correct. Many thanks to the old associates of Congress. There is a saying in our Bihar: old friends are the ones who come in handy. Is this happening without Rahul ji’s orders?”
{{/usCountry}}In another post on the social media platform X, Ahmad said, “Now my information has been proven absolutely correct. Many thanks to the old associates of Congress. There is a saying in our Bihar: old friends are the ones who come in handy. Is this happening without Rahul ji’s orders?”
{{/usCountry}}Ahmad, a three-time MLA and two-term MP from Bihar, also shared a screenshot of a WhatsApp group message in which a person urged other members to burn Ahmad’s effigies for criticising Rahul Gandhi.
The message in the screenshot read: “Former Congressman Shakeel Ahmed is continuously making baseless statements against our leader, respected Mr. Rahul Gandhi. The top leadership has directed that all district presidents and assembly presidents should burn Shakeel Ahmed’s effigy in their respective areas tomorrow, to register their strong protest.”
Security heightened outside residence of Ahmad
Security tightened outside Ahmad’s residence in Patna following his claim on X that Congress leadership has directed attacks on his homes in Patna and Madhubani.
Remarks spark backlash
Ahmad, who resigned from the Congress in November 2025 after the Bihar Assembly elections, on Saturday called Rahul Gandhi a 'darpok' (coward) and an insecure leader and claimed he is only promoting young leaders who sing his paeans in the party.
He said Gandhi finds himself uncomfortable in the presence of senior leaders who have a public standing and is thus promoting only those who have no base, news agency PTI reported.
Calling Gandhi "dictatorial" and "non-democratic", Ahmad claimed he does not listen to senior colleagues in the Congress and is "convinced that the party cannot go below the number two position due to its national presence".
Noting that Rahul Gandhi lost Amethi when he was the Congress president, Ahmad claimed that he could not even win the seat once nurtured by his forefathers and family due to his attitude.
"Rahul Gandhi is a coward and an insecure person. He does not get that 'boss feeling' before anyone who is senior to him or has a big public support. He is uncomfortable with any such person and is thus dictatorial and not democratic," Ahmad told PTI.
Ahmad has been a three-time MLA-1985-90, 1990-95 and 2000-2004 and twice an MP, 1998 and 2004, from Bihar.
(With inputs from PTI)