Overview

• At a BJP event in Shajapur on September 25, the Madhya Pradesh minister said the Leader of Opposition “kisses his sister in public” and “lacks culture.”
• He labeled the gesture a product of “foreign culture” and cited “Indian values,” recalling customs such as not drinking water in a married sister’s home.
• The remarks referred to Rahul Gandhi kissing Priyanka Gandhi on the cheek during the 2023 Bharat Jodo Yatra.
• Congress condemned the comment, with spokesperson Abhinav Barolia saying it exposes his mentality and lowers political discourse.
• Further criticism from the Madhya Pradesh Congress called the statement an insult to the brother–sister bond, as state chief Jitu Patwari also decried the timing during Navratri.