A Bihar Congress MLA on August 11 stirred a controversy over the Rahul Gandhi “flying kiss” episode, asking why the party leader would blow a kiss towards a 50-year-old woman when he doesn’t have any “dearth of girls”.
Hisua MLA Neetu Singh was apparently referring to Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani, who along with several other women BJP MPs had filed a complaint with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging that Mr. Gandhi blew a flying kiss towards them while in the House on August 9.
“Our [leader] Rahul ji has no dearth of girls. If he has to blow a kiss, he would blow it to a girl. Why would he blow a kiss to a 50-year-old woman?” the MLA told mediapersons.
A video of the comment also surfaced on social media.
The MLA’s remark drew a sharp reaction from the BJP. Party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said on X (formerly Twitter) that the legislator’s comment “reflects the bankrupt mindset of Congress leaders”.
“It is ridiculous to hear how a woman Congress MLA defends her party leader’s shameless gesture towards women MPs,” he added while sharing a video clip of the MLA’s remark.
Meanwhile, the Congress’ alliance partner in Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), defended the MLA’s remark. “Before making any comment over the Congress MLA, BJP leaders should look into their shortcomings. The Congress MLA has rightly said that Rahul Gandhi does not have such a character,” RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said.
