After Rahul Gandhi's Hug Jibe, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey Shares Nehru Photos; Congress Hits Back

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Saturday brought Jawaharlal Nehru into the political row over Rahul Gandhi's hug with Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit, sharing a series of old photographs that the Congress said were being circulated without context.

Dubey shared the photographs on X with the caption, “Some pictures from a book in my library about the Nehru-Gandhi family.” The images showed Nehru with his sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, his niece Nayantara Sahgal and former US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

While Dubey did not describe the images as “kiss” photographs, the post drew a response from the Congress. The Congress hit back, saying the photographs had been stripped of their context and accusing the BJP MP of distorting their meaning.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said one photograph showed Nehru receiving a peck on his cheek from his sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, while another featured his niece Nayantara Sahgal. She also identified a photograph from March 1962 showing Nehru applying colours to Jacqueline Kennedy during Holi.

“The women in your house should also stay safe from you – savage beast,” Shrinate said in response to Dubey.

Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi also criticised the BJP MP's post, accusing him of selectively using photographs to target the Nehru-Gandhi family.

“For decades, Jawaharlal Nehru and his family have been subjected to a campaign of selective photographs, insinuations and deliberate distortions to manufacture a political narrative,” Singhvi tweeted.

“Nishikant Dubey’s latest attempt is yet another example of this politics of defamation. A family greeting is not a scandal, and an old photograph is not evidence of wrongdoing,” he said.

The latest post came a day after Dubey shared photographs of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi with Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to counter Rahul Gandhi's remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy.

Dubey also shared a viral image of Rahul Gandhi hugging Modi in the Lok Sabha eight years ago. He wrote, "Rahul Gandhi ji calls this choking sensation gastric fire, or is it the fire of lust?"

India Today reported that Dubey's posts revived the BJP-Congress social media battle over historical photographs, with the BJP using images of Congress leaders and their families to make political points and the Congress responding by providing context and accusing the BJP of distortion.

Dubey’s Nehru Posts Follow Rahul Gandhi’s Hug Remark

Dubey's attack came hours after Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy at the Rachnatmak Congress national convention on Thursday evening.

Rahul Gandhi said he did not understand where Modi had got the idea that foreign policy was about hugging world leaders. He then hugged Sandeep Dikshit to illustrate his point.

“Imagine the ignorance... where did he get the idea that foreign policy was about hugging leaders?” Rahul Gandhi said.

Dikshit then jokingly asked Gandhi, “You didn’t mistake me for Meloni, did you?”

Rahul Gandhi replied, “I haven’t reached that point yet.”

The BJP MP's posts have since turned the episode into a broader BJP-Congress dispute over old photographs, with the Congress providing context for the images and accusing the BJP of distortion.