New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma targeted Rahul Gandhi over a video showing the Congress leader pulling Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar by the collar during an opposition march in New Delhi, calling the episode public humiliation and questioning whether the Karnataka leader would accept it.
Sharing the footage on social media, Himanta invoked his own fallout with Rahul Gandhi in 2015 while he was still in the Congress, suggesting he had refused to tolerate what he considered disrespect. The Assam Chief Minister noted that the Chief Minister of Karnataka holds a constitutional office and represents a state with a rich history, asking whether he would bow to such treatment. He also criticised the political image of the Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition, asserting that attempts at reinvention cannot conceal underlying arrogance.
The controversy arose from a demonstration led by Rahul Gandhi towards the Supreme Court, where opposition leaders and civil society representatives sought to submit a memorandum regarding alleged electoral roll irregularities. During the march through a large crowd of supporters, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar attempted to move toward the frontline before being pulled back by his collar, after which security personnel pushed him further back.
The footage quickly drew sharp reactions from Bharatiya Janata Party figures. Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya argued that the act insulted the dignity of millions of Kannadigas and drew comparisons to historical treatment of Karnataka leaders by the Congress party. Other BJP leaders similarly denounced the behavior, asserting that political status does not grant anyone the right to demean others.
Himanta used the moment to reiterate longstanding grievances stemming from his own exit from the Congress party over a decade prior. Having left the organisation in 2015 before eventually assuming leadership in Assam, he has frequently cited previous encounters with Rahul Gandhi to illustrate what he describes as dismissive behavior toward senior party members.