The VHP has accused Rahul Gandhi of offending Hindu sentiments with his tandav remark at the opposition protest. The row has widened into a debate over religious references in politics and pressure on the judiciary.
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Newdelhi,Oct 13, 2026 17:44 IST
The Vishva Hindu Parishad on Tuesday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of trying to pressure the judiciary and hurting Hindu religious sentiments by comparing the opposition's protest against the Election Commission with Lord Shiva's tandav. The organisation demanded that Gandhi publicly clarify his remarks and apologise to Hindus.
The criticism came a day after opposition leaders, activists and civil society members held a 'March for Democracy' to the Supreme Court over allegations of 'vote theft' and poll irregularities. The leaders marched along a heavily barricaded route and filed a joint petition against the Special Intensive Revision of the voter list and alleged electoral irregularities.
Addressing the protesters, Gandhi said such resistance had existed earlier too but had not come onto the streets in the form of demonstrations. He said the fight would continue for days or years and urged people to sustain the protests, describing them as a tandav that requires no planning. "This is like Shiva's dance and anyone can join Shiva's 'baraat' (wedding procession)," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal called the analogy objectionable. In a post on X, he said, "Behold the peak of shamelessness! Rahul Gandhi describes his anarchic political movement as Lord Shiva's Tandava and Shiva's procession!" He said Shiva's tandav should not be compared with political protests and added that "Lord Shiva's procession is a sacred symbol of the faith and devotion of millions of Hindus". He also accused Gandhi and the Congress of using religious sentiments for political gain and said Hindus would respond to the "misuse" of Shiva's name.
Bansal also criticised opposition leaders for marching to the Supreme Court after their request to meet the Chief Justice of India was declined, alleging that the move was meant to intimidate the judiciary. He said this was "an extremely grave development" and asked whether the opposition's criticism of senior government functionaries would now extend to the CJI as well. Questioning whether political interests were being placed above the dignity of the judiciary and religious beliefs, he said leaders would have to answer for their conduct.
Seeking accountability for what he called political conduct that undermined the dignity of the judiciary, Bansal said Gandhi should apologise to Hindus over the religious reference. "No political party has the right to toy with the faith and beliefs of Hindus," he said, adding, "In democracy, there is a right to protest, but neither undue pressure on the judiciary nor the insult to eternal faith is acceptable."
The row, therefore, centred on Gandhi's remarks at the opposition protest and the VHP's charge that they offended Hindu sentiments while also raising concerns over the march to the Supreme Court and the opposition's petition on the voter list revision and alleged poll irregularities.
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