‘Don’t understand BJP’s obsession with dogs’: Rahul Gandhi after row over ‘biscuit video’

Gandhi's clarification came after a video showing him offering a biscuit rejected by a dog to a person went viral on social media, with BJP leaders alleging this was how he treated workers of his party.

By: Express Web Desk

Updated: February 7, 2024 07:38 AM IST

3 min read

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses the media during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, in Gumla district, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (PTI Photo)

Addressing a controversy sparked by a video of him offering a biscuit to a dog, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday clarified that he offered a biscuit to a dog owner to feed the animal after it refused to eat from his hands. He added that he does not understand the BJP’s obsession with dogs.

Gandhi, who is on his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra covering the eastern part of India, said, “…I called the dog and the owner. The dog was nervous, shivering and when I tried to feed it, the dog got scared. So, I gave biscuits to the dog’s owner and the dog ate them from his hand. I don’t understand what’s the issue with it.”

His clarification came after a video showing him offering a biscuit rejected by a dog to a person went viral on social media, with BJP leaders alleging this was how he treated workers of his party.

The video, shared on Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’s X handle, showed Gandhi offering a biscuit to a dog. Later, sharing a longer version of the video — which showed Gandhi handing the biscuit to the person who brought it to him after the dog refused to eat it, the BJP claimed Gandhi actually offered the biscuit rejected by a dog to ‘a Congress worker’.

Meanwhile, the owner of the dog, expressing happiness, said, “The dog got clicked with Rahul Gandhi, who also offered it biscuits.”

The incident had stirred a controversy, with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday night reacting to the viral video, posting on X, “… Not only Rahul Gandhi but the entire family could not make me eat that biscuit. I am a proud Assamese and Indian. I refused to eat and resigned from the Congress.”

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