Rahul Gandhi death threat: Congress blames ‘toxic’ BJP-RSS discourse

The Congress on Thursday (February 19, 2026) condemned the video of a man claiming to be associated with the Karni Sena issuing death threats to Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and “25 other MPs”, with party general secretary K.C. Venugopal accusing the BJP of fostering a “toxic culture of animosity” in national discourse.

However, Kota Superintendent of Police Tejaswani Gautam said the man, who identified himself as Raj Singh in the video, had been detained at Borkheda police station and was being questioned.

In a post on X, Mr. Venugopal said “self-proclaimed Modi bhakts are brazenly issuing death threats against Rahul Gandhi in broad daylight — without any reprimand from the ruling regime”.

“This is a direct result of the toxic culture of animosity and vengeance created by the BJP in national discourse — right from Parliament to political rallies. They treat political opponents as die-hard enemies to be eliminated, and their foot soldiers — blinded by hate — are unleashed to intimidate Opposition leaders,” he said.

He added that such threats would not deter Mr. Gandhi, saying he “will continue to face each adversary head on”.

‘Godse factory’: Khera

Earlier, Pawan Khera, who heads the party’s media and publicity department, shared the video on X and alleged that the “RSS-BJP ecosystem is a ‘Godse factory’”.

“The threat issued by the so-called Karni Sena against Rahul Gandhi and the ‘25 Members of Parliament’ is not an isolated outburst. It is part of a calculated and devious plan,” Mr. Khera said, alleging a campaign to demonise the Opposition and legitimise violence against political rivals.

At a press briefing, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate questioned the government’s response to the video, asking why no FIR had been registered.

“I want to ask Om Birla ji, the goon in this video calls himself your supporter from the Karni Sena — do you have no objection to this video? What is the Home Minister doing? There is pin-drop silence even as a goon openly threatens to shoot MPs and the Leader of the Opposition,” she said.

The Congress also alleged that there was a deliberate attempt to amplify claims that some of its MPs had verbally abused Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, a charge the party has categorically rejected.