The Congress party has formally written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding immediate and strict action against BJP spokesperson Pintu Mahadev, accusing him of issuing a direct death threat to Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi during a televised debate.
The letter, dated September 28 and signed by senior Congress leader KC Venugopal, described Mahadev’s remarks as “cold, calculated and chilling”, stating that they placed Gandhi in immediate danger. Congress emphasized that the statement was “not a slip of the tongue, nor careless hyperbole” but a deliberate incitement to violence, undermining constitutional guarantees and basic security assurances.
Highlighting prior threats, the party pointed out that the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), responsible for Gandhi’s security, had previously flagged multiple threats to his life in letters to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, one of which was allegedly leaked to the media. Against this backdrop, the party argued that Mahadev’s remark could not be seen in isolation and raised serious concerns about a broader atmosphere of normalized violence against Gandhi.
The letter cited Mahadev’s statement during a News18 Kerala debate, quoting him saying: “Rahul Gandhi will be shot in the chest.” Congress called the remark a brazen act of incitement of violence, pointing to similar threats circulating on BJP-linked social media platforms, which they said contributed to a climate of hate making Gandhi vulnerable.
The party demanded that the Home Minister clarify the ruling party’s position on criminal intimidation, death threats, and violence in political discourse. It called for swift and exemplary legal action through the state police, warning that any inaction would amount to complicity.
“The nation demands immediate, exemplary legal action so that justice is swift, visible and severe,” the letter stated, adding that failure to act would effectively provide a “license for the legitimisation and normalization of violence” against the Leader of the Opposition.
The letter also framed the threat in the context of the Gandhi family’s history, referencing the assassinations of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi in 1984 and Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, stating that a threat against Rahul Gandhi is “not merely an attack on an individual; it is an assault on the democratic spirit he represents.”
