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The attack came after Rahul Gandhi on Friday demanded a debate in Parliament on air pollution across several cities in the country, ahead of the winter session
In an X post, Rahul Gandhi questioned the Centre, alleging ‘no urgency, plan, or accountability’ for the air pollution problem. File pic/PTI
The Bharatiya Janata Party has launched a scathing attack against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, linking him and his party to the glorification of a notorious Maoist terrorist, Madvi Hidma. BJP’s Pradip Bhandari, in a post on social media site X, claimed that Gandhi now “stands shoulder-to-shoulder with those who glorify Hidma—the same Maoist butcher responsible for massacring our CRPF jawans.”
The attack came after Rahul Gandhi on Friday demanded a debate in Parliament on air pollution across several cities in the country, ahead of the winter session.
In an X post, Rahul Gandhi questioned the Centre, alleging “no urgency, plan, or accountability” for the air pollution problem.
He wrote, “Every mother I meet tells me the same thing: her child is growing up breathing toxic air. They are exhausted, scared and angry. Modi ji, India’s children are choking in front of us. How can you stay silent? Why does your government show no urgency, no plan, no accountability?”
“India needs an immediate, detailed Parliament debate on air pollution and a strict, enforceable action plan to tackle this health emergency. Our children deserve clean air – not excuses and distractions,” he posted, while sharing an eight-minute video of his discussion with a few mothers.
Bhandari’s allegation stems from the appearance of controversial slogans during a recent “anti-pollution protest” in Delhi. Specifically, the slogan cited is “Comrade Hidma amar rahe, har ghar se Hidma niklega” (Long Live Comrade Hidma, Hidma will emerge from every house), which was reportedly raised by a small group of protesters, including some allegedly linked to JNU Leftist elements, during the demonstration ostensibly about air pollution.
Hidma and Slogan Controversy
The central figure in the controversy is Madvi Hidma, a high-value target who was recently killed in an encounter with security forces on November 18, 2025, in the Maredumilli forest area of Andhra Pradesh.
Hidma was an elusive and deadly Maoist commander, serving as the youngest member of the Central Committee of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). He was responsible for masterminding numerous attacks that inflicted heavy casualties on security forces, including the 2010 Dantewada massacre (76 CRPF personnel killed) and the 2013 Darbha valley attack in Chhattisgarh, which wiped out almost the entire state Congress leadership.
Political Turn
The BJP has seized on this incident to revive its long-standing narrative against the Congress, portraying the opposition as sympathetic to anti-national forces. Bhandari aggressively branded the Congress as the “reality of MMC—Muslim League Maowadi Congress”, an updated version of the previous “Tukde Tukde Gang” jibe. He directly implicated Rahul Gandhi by claiming his “channel” (referring to the Congress’s social media platforms or allied media) was “proudly airing videos” of the JNU Leftists chanting the slogan, suggesting a tacit endorsement of Naxal ideology.
This is not the first time the Congress and Rahul Gandhi have faced such accusations, which originated during the 2016 JNU sedition row when Gandhi visited the campus to meet students protesting the arrest of their union leader. In that context, the BJP accused the Congress of supporting elements that raised “anti-India” slogans, a political strategy that has consistently resonated with their core base.
The party’s current political attack links two disparate events—a controversial JNU-related chant and the Congress’s political actions—to paint the opposition as fundamentally anti-establishment and aligned with radical, violent groups like the Naxals. The Congress, while officially silent on the specific chant, is bracing for this aggressive narrative to be amplified across platforms, further complicated by the party’s historical connection to the victims of Hidma’s most notorious attack in 2013.
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
November 28, 2025, 17:19 IST
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