Overview

• At a Shajapur event, minister Kailash Vijayvargiya cited a 2023 Bharat Jodo Yatra moment to question Rahul Gandhi kissing his sister, calling it a sign of foreign values.
• Vijayvargiya later said his remarks were about cultural differences, stressing that all relationships are sacred and that his comments were misconstrued.
• Congress staged statewide demonstrations including effigy burnings and a sit-in outside Vijayvargiya’s Bhopal residence, and its women’s wing announced district press conferences.
• Cabinet colleague Vijay Shah publicly endorsed the cultural critique, saying such displays are not acceptable in Indian tradition and should not occur in public.
• Coverage notes Vijayvargiya’s history of contentious comments on women and culture and highlights the political optics for the BJP, with no disciplinary action reported.