Piyush Goyal Labels Rahul Gandhi a Political Liability

Goyal’s remarks followed a demonstration on Barakhamba Road, where Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders marched toward the Supreme Court to contest the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The minister alleged that while Gandhi publicly challenges the electoral process, his own party members have previously lauded the very systems he now criticizes. He pointed to Shashi Tharoor’s praise for Kerala’s electoral rolls and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s commendation of the commission’s conduct in West Bengal as evidence of internal contradiction.

Beyond the political maneuvering, Goyal leveled a serious charge of misconduct against Gandhi and his associates, alleging they mistreated a pregnant journalist covering the protest. This controversy coincides with procedural hurdles for the opposition; the Supreme Court Registry has identified 14 defects in the writ petition filed by Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and nine other leaders. Goyal dismissed the ongoing legal challenge as a recurring political drama that aligns the Congress with figures they previously opposed.