Rahul Gandhi's hug remark sparks intra‑opposition row in India

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said at an INDIA bloc meeting that he "cannot and will not" hug former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, citing an ongoing political fight. The comment was released in an audio clip shared on Gandhi’s YouTube channel.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) criticised the remark, accusing Gandhi of acting as a facilitator for the Enforcement Directorate and the Modi government. CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby wrote to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge expressing strong displeasure, and CPI(M) leader John Brittas raised the issue at the meeting.

Vijayan responded that hugging is rare in politics and that he has no problem with Gandhi hugging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but viewed Gandhi’s statement as damaging to the INDIA alliance, saying it often helps the BJP.