Rahul responds to 'dog biscuit' row after Himanta's comment
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday, addressed the row over a viral video which shows him feeding biscuits to a puppy during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. The clip shows Gandhi petting a puppy and trying to give it a biscuit. After the puppy turned its face away, Gandhi is seen offering it to one of his supporters. The video had triggered a row, with some social media users accusing Gandhi of mistreating his supporters.
Gandhi's statement on viral video
During a press conference in Jharkhand on Tuesday, Gandhi responded to the row that had erupted online. He 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 the issue is." "I don't understand BJP's obsession with dogs," he added.
Watch: Gandhi's full statement here
BJP leader sparks controversy
The video went viral after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pallavi CT shared the clip. She also brought up the past allegation that Gandhi allegedly fed Congress leaders, including the current Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, from the same plate as his pet dog Pidi. "Then Congress President (Mallikarjun) Khargeji compares party workers to dogs," she further alleged.
See the video shared by the Congress
Sarma's response on the controversy
Earlier in the day Sarma responded to Pallavi's post saying, "Pallavi ji, not only Rahul Gandhi but the entire family could not make me eat..." Sarma, in 2016, alleged that Gandhi was more focused on feeding biscuits to his dog during a meeting. He said that Congress leaders would eat from the same plate Gandhi's pet grabbed a biscuit from. This incident is believed to have sparked a rift between the two, ultimately leading to Sarma's move to the BJP.
