Overview

• Speaking at a BJP event in Shajapur on September 25, Kailash Vijayvargiya said the Leader of Opposition kisses his younger sister in public and called it foreign culture.
• The comments alluded to images from the 2023 Bharat Jodo Yatra in which Rahul Gandhi kissed Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on the cheek.
• On September 26, Congress workers staged demonstrations across several districts, burning effigies in Indore and Panna and clashing with police at some sites.
• The Congress and its women’s wing demanded a public apology or the minister’s dismissal, calling the remarks an affront to women and to the brother‑sister bond during Navratri.
• Vijayvargiya later clarified that all relationships are sacred but argued such public displays reflect Western norms, drawing renewed attention to his past comments on women’s clothing and culture.