Overview
- Patole said Rahul Gandhi is doing the work of Lord Ram by serving vulnerable and marginalised people instead of visiting Ayodhya for photo-ops.
- BJP leaders condemned the analogy, with Shehzad Poonawalla calling it “sycophancy pro max” and alleging an insult to Hindu faith.
- Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar, NCP MP Sunil Tatkare, and Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya rejected any comparison between a deity and a politician.
- Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat cited a past Congress affidavit describing Lord Ram as “imaginary,” while Piyush Goyal dismissed the row and emphasized governance.
- Patole later told critics they had “lost their mental balance,” as Congress figures framed the backlash as a diversion from substantive issues, and reports noted he made similar remarks in the past.