'Bullets will pierce his chest': Siddaramaiah expresses shock over remark against Rahul Gandhi

Siddaramaiah expresses shock over 'shoot Rahul Gandhi' remark by BJP leader

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday expressed shock over an alleged statement by a BJP leader threatening Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with death. The CM also questioned whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah endorsed the view.

Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP and Sangh Parivar have a history of threatening ideological opponents(Arun Kumar Rao/ANI file photo)

In a post on X, Siddaramaiah said: “The shocking fact that a spokesperson of @BJP4India has openly issued a death threat saying, ‘We will shoot Rahul Gandhi in the chest, beware..!!’, aimed at the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Shri Rahul Gandhi, who has been consistently raising his voice against the BJP and the Sangh Parivar, has left the nation stunned.”

The CM added, “The silence of Prime Minister @narendramodi and Home Minister @AmitShah on such a statement has naturally led everyone to wonder whether they, too, endorse this view.”

Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP and Sangh Parivar have a history of threatening ideological opponents, sometimes escalating to physical violence. “Those who earlier stood behind the scenes supporting the killings of their critics are now stepping into the arena openly,” he said, adding that the party’s reliance on violence instead of debate reflects intellectual bankruptcy.

Listing previous victims, the CM said: “Are the victims of the Sangh Parivar's extremists just one or two? The list of killings, beginning with Mahatma Gandhi, has continued to grow with Govind Pansare, Narendra Dabholkar, M. M. Kalaburagi, Gauri Lankesh, and many more.”

He also criticized leaders of the Sangh Parivar, stating that while they claim no connection with the killers, they “have never been able to wash away the stains of blood on their hands.”

Referring to personal experiences, Siddaramaiah said he has received death threats in the past and that police investigations are ongoing. “I have never been one to cower before such threats or betray the ideals I believed in. I am confident that one day all these evil forces will have to bow before justice,” he added.

The CM also highlighted that Rahul Gandhi’s family has faced death threats before. “It was at the hands of such killers that Rahul Gandhi lost both his grandmother and his father. Let the murderous minds in the BJP know that Rahul Gandhi is no longer alone, he has the unwavering support of millions of workers and citizens,” Siddaramaiah asserted.

The alleged remarks were reportedly made by Printu Mahadevan, a former ABVP leader, during a television debate on protests in Bangladesh and Nepal. Mahadevan reportedly claimed that similar protests could not happen in India as people supported Prime Minister Modi, adding that if Rahul Gandhi had such aspirations, “bullets will pierce his chest.”

Following a complaint by KPCC secretary Sreekumar C C, the Peramangalam police in Kerala registered a case against Mahadevan. He was arrested on Tuesday night and later granted bail.