Patna ,UPDATED: Aug 11, 2023 08:51 IST
Amid Rahul Gandhi’s ongoing ‘flying kiss’ controversy, Congress MLA from Bihar Neetu Singh triggered a new row as she took a jibe at Union Minister Smriti Irani in response.
Why would the Congress MP give a flying kiss to a 50-year-old woman when he had no dearth of young girls, Neetu was seen asking in a video message, which has now gone viral on social media.
Further, the Congress MLA from Hisua assembly constituency in Bihar, claimed that the ongoing “flying kiss” controversy was an attempt by the BJP to malign the image of Rahul Gandhi.
“Our leader Rahul Gandhi does not have dearth of girls. If he has to give a flying kiss, he would give it too a girl and why would he give it to a 50 year ‘budhi'(old) woman like Smriti Irani. All these allegations against Rahul Gandhi are baseless”, Neetu Singh said.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came down heavily on Congress over Singh’s remarks.
Party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia, taking to X (formerly Twitter), slammed Neetu Singh and termed her remarks against Smriti Irani ‘shameful’.
Echoing Bhatia, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said the Congress is an ‘anti-women party’ and it could go to any extent to defend its leader Rahul Gandhi.
THE FLYING KISS CONTROVERSY
On Wednesday, Smriti Irani expressed outrage over Rahul Gandhi blowing a flying kiss in the Lok Sabha, calling him a misogynist and saying the House had never witnessed such an “indecent act”.
BJP women MPs later met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and demanded “stringent action” against Gandhi.
In a complaint, signed by more than 20 women parliamentarians, it was alleged that the Congress member made the “inappropriate gesture” towards Irani when was speaking in the House during the debate on the no-confidence motion against the government.
“The person who spoke before me… an indecent gesture was made… only a misogynistic man can give a flying kiss to Parliament which seats female Members of Parliament… such indecent act has not been witnessed by the House ever before. The entire country has seen the culture of the (Gandhi) family,” Smriti Irani said.
Gandhi, while leaving the House after participating in the debate, was booed at by the treasury benches. He then turned around and blew a flying kiss.