Congress general secretary K. C. Venugopal on Monday escalated his demand for action against a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson in Kerala, who allegedly issued a death threat to the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, during a televised debate.
Venugopal, a senior Congress leader, stated that the threat was not an isolated incident but rather “part of a bigger conspiracy,” and expressed dismay over the lack of response from the Union Home Ministry regarding his written complaint.
Venugopal’s Letter to Home Minister Amit Shah
The controversy centres on remarks allegedly made by a Kerala BJP spokesperson, Printu Mahadev, during a televised discussion on News18 Kerala. According to a letter Venugopal wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday, Mahadev “openly declared that ‘Rahul Gandhi will be shot in the chest.”
In the letter, the Congress general secretary underlined the seriousness of the comment, calling it a “cold, calculated and chilling death threat against the Leader of the Opposition and one of India’s foremost political leaders.”
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗝𝗣 𝗛𝗔𝗦 𝗖𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗟𝗜𝗠𝗜𝗧𝗦!
The Indian National Congress strongly condemns the heinous DEATH THREAT issued to LoP Shri Rahul Gandhi on live television by BJP spokesperson Pintu Mahadev.
This is no off-the-cuff remark or hyperbole. This is a cold and… pic.twitter.com/v9eEsozakK
— Congress (@INCIndia) September 29, 2025
Venugopal further warned the Home Minister that “failure” to act swiftly against the alleged threat would be “judged as ‘complicity and normalisation of violence’ against the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, and ‘grave breach’ of oath as the Union home minister.”
Speaking to the media on Monday, Venugopal highlighted the apparent inaction by authorities in Kerala and at the Centre.
“This is an open threat. I don’t know why Kerala Police are taking no action. That is why we wrote a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah,” Venugopal said, as per news agency ANI.
He also linked the incident to other alleged security concerns, adding, “CRPF is giving letters to Rahul Gandhi on security lapses, and they themselves are leaking information. Here, there is a clear-cut threat from a BJP spokesperson. We are all thinking this is part of a bigger conspiracy. I have not received any response from the Home Ministry.”
The Congress leader also sought clarity from the ruling party on whether the spokesperson’s inflammatory remarks reflect the official position of the BJP, while also noting the party’s silence on the matter.
“We would like to know from the BJP whether this is their official stand; otherwise, they should take action against the spokesperson. The BJP is silent on this issue,” Venugopal stated.
The letter to the Home Minister, which was also posted on X (formerly Twitter), stressed the constitutional implications of such rhetoric. Venugopal argued that such “poisonous words are uttered by an official spokesperson of the ruling party not only places the life of Shri Rahul Gandhi in immediate danger, but also undermines the Constitution, the rule of law, and the basic security assurances owed to every citizen, let alone the Leader of the Opposition.”
