The controversy centres on Printu Mahadev, once a state president of ABVP and now a BJP spokesperson, who is reported to have said the words “Rahul Gandhi will be shot in the chest” on live television. Congress officials describe the remark as a “cold, calculated and chilling death threat” to a sitting parliamentarian.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal has sent a pointed letter to Home Minister Amit Shah demanding swift action against Mahadev. He warns that failure to act publicly would amount to complicity and amount to “a licence for normalising violence” against opposition leaders. Congress media head Pawan Khera further declared that the remark was not stray rhetoric but a symptom of a deeper, orchestrated plan to stifle dissent.
The opposition party frames the incident as part of a broader pattern. According to Khera, when the RSS-BJP combine fails to counter ideas with argument, they resort to physical intimidation: “First you tried to silence Rahul Gandhi with abuses; now you are threatening him with bullets.” He urged investigators to find out who is behind the threat: “Those losing the ideological battle, whose theft has been caught, are now resorting to violence.”
Congress has repeatedly highlighted earlier episodes, such as a leaked CRPF letter about Rahul Gandhi’s security being politicised. In its statement, the party asked whether the BJP actively cultivates a “toxic atmosphere of hate” so that its foot soldiers feel emboldened to issue violent threats.
There has been no public reaction yet from Mahadev, nor has the Kerala Police confirmed registration of a formal complaint in relation to the TV debate remarks. Legal experts say the matter may trigger sections under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita dealing with criminal intimidation or threats.
Observers note this conflict comes as the opposition is placing increasing emphasis on contesting ideological narratives. Rahul Gandhi and senior Congress figures have been vocal in their criticism of Hindutva politics, constitutional amendments, and what they call the “democratic deficit” under BJP rule. The timing of the threat is consequential: Congress perceives it as an effort to suppress dissent across the political spectrum.
Critics of Congress warn that overplaying the threat could risk polarising public sentiment further, turning political discourse into a battleground of rhetorical escalation. Meanwhile, civil society groups have called for independent inquiry and protection for all elected representatives under threat.