On 4 August, 2023 the honourable Supreme Court of India put stay on Rahul Gandhi’s 2 year prison sentence in the case of defamation. With this move, Rahul Gandhi has been reinstated as an MP and can also run for the next year’s general elections.
After reinstating as an MP, Rahul Gandhi delivered his first speech at the Lok Sabha on August 9. Rahul Gandhi was in a hurry and did not have time to wait for the responses as the politician had a scheduled event in Rajasthan at 3 pm.
While departing from the session, it is alleged that Rahul Gandhi blew a flying kiss in the parliament which sparked a major controversy.
What are the accusations against Rahul Gandhi?
It is alleged that while exiting the parliament, Rahul Gandhi blew a flying kiss in the air which was a gesture reminiscent of his 2018 wink and hug when he passed a no confidence motion against the Modi government. This action spurred a controversy and all the female MP’s of BJP including Smriti Irani questioned his code of conduct.
Smriti Irani and Hema Malini’s reaction on Rahul Gandhi’s flying kiss
As reported by HT, Smriti Irani jabbed Rahul Gandhi and said , “Only a misogynistic man can exhibit the gesture of a flying kiss towards female parliamentarians. This action sheds light on the lineage he originates from and reflects the attitude his family and party hold towards women.” BJP also labelled it as “chichora type behaviour”.
When Hema Malini was asked for his reaction to Rahul Gandhi blowing a flying kiss in the parliament, she said she missed it and did not see. However the veteran actor has still signed the complaint against Rahul Gandhi.
How are opposition parties defending Rahul Gandhi?
Jharkhand Congress Mp, Geeta Koda supported Rahul Gandhi and said “Today, he talked about Manipur while speaking on the no-confidence motion, but the BJP does not want to talk about Manipur and neither wants to see Rahul Gandhi in the house, so it is indulging in such behaviour. But we know our leader and he can never disrespect women”.
Shive Sena MP, Uddhav Thackeray and Priyanka Chaturvedi defended Rahul Gandhi and said “I was at the visitor’s gallery and he (Rahul Gandhi) did it as a gesture of affection. They (BJP) can’t accept love.”
