Jammu: BJP spokesperson and Convenor, International Affairs, J&K, Gaurav Gupta launched a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi and Sandeep Dikshit for dragging Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni into what he called a “vulgar and diplomatically disgraceful exchange.”
Gupta said Rahul Gandhi’s participation was especially shameful because his mother, Sonia Gandhi, was born in Italy, yet he failed to display even elementary respect towards the elected woman Prime Minister of her country of birth.
“Sonia Gandhi was born in Italy, but her son Rahul Gandhi sat laughing and actively participated in a crude joke targeting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. A son who cannot respect the woman leading his mother’s country of birth has no moral authority to lecture India on dignity, women’s honour or international relations. Besharmi ki bhi hadd hoti hai,” Gupta said.
At a Congress event, Rahul Gandhi mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s engagement with world leaders and hugged Sandeep Dikshit while ridiculing what he described as “hug diplomacy”. Dikshit then asked, “Meloni samajh ke toh nahi pakda tha?” Rahul replied, “I have not reached there yet,” amid laughter.
Gupta said Rahul Gandhi could not distance himself from the controversy because he neither stopped Dikshit nor objected to the reference. Instead, he replied and joined the laughter.
“Rahul Gandhi was not a silent spectator. His response completed the vulgar joke. His laughter exposed his mindset and his silence endorsed the insult,” Gupta asserted.
He said the exchange was not merely an insult to Prime Minister Meloni but also an affront to every woman holding public office.
“Reducing the elected Prime Minister of a G7 nation to the subject of a cheap joke is not humour—it is objectification. It exposes the feudal and deeply misogynistic mindset flourishing within the Congress leadership,” he stated.
Gupta questioned why Sonia Gandhi had not publicly reprimanded her son and demanded an apology from both Rahul Gandhi and Sandeep Dikshit.
“Will Sonia Gandhi condemn her son’s behaviour? Will she ask Rahul why his hatred for Prime Minister Modi became so uncontrollable that he dragged the Italian Prime Minister into a gutter-level political joke? Or will the Congress first family remain silent because its sermons on women’s dignity apply only to political opponents?” he asked.
Gupta said Rahul Gandhi’s conduct had exposed the “double standards” of a leader who routinely invokes love, respect and constitutional morality in his speeches.
“Rahul Gandhi carries a Constitution in his hand but displays neither constitutional maturity nor cultural decency in his conduct. He speaks about respect for women before cameras and laughs when a woman Prime Minister is objectified on his own stage. This hypocrisy stands completely exposed,” he said.
The BJP spokesperson said the Ministry of External Affairs had been compelled to remind political leaders that India shares strong relations with Italy and that mutual respect must remain central to diplomatic engagement.
“It is a matter of national embarrassment that the Ministry of External Affairs had to underline basic diplomatic decency because the Leader of Opposition and his colleague could not control their language. Prime Minister Modi builds bridges with world leaders; Rahul Gandhi converts foreign policy into crude comedy,” Gupta said.
He added that Prime Minister Modi’s rapport with Giorgia Meloni reflected the growing India–Italy strategic partnership, not the “vulgar insinuations manufactured by frustrated Congress leaders.”
“Rahul Gandhi cannot comprehend diplomacy because he views every relationship through the distorted lens of personal attacks. When he cannot challenge Prime Minister Modi’s global stature politically, he descends into mockery and innuendo,” Gupta alleged.
Gupta demanded an immediate and unconditional apology from Rahul Gandhi and Sandeep Dikshit to Prime Minister Meloni, the Italian government, the people of Italy and the women of India.
“Rahul Gandhi occupies the constitutional office of Leader of Opposition. If he cannot maintain basic dignity while speaking about the head of a friendly government, he has diminished the office he holds,” he said.
He also urged Prime Minister Meloni and the Italian government to take formal note of the episode and seek accountability from the Congress leadership.
“Prime Minister Meloni should ask Sonia Gandhi a direct question: Is this the respect her son and her party reserve for Italy’s elected woman Prime Minister? Congress must not be allowed to bury this disgraceful episode under political excuses,” Gupta stated.
He said Rahul Gandhi’s behaviour had exposed the contradiction at the heart of Congress politics.
“Rahul Gandhi wants the prestige of an international political lineage but refuses to follow the elementary standards of international conduct. He invokes Sonia Gandhi’s background when politically convenient but cannot respect the country of her birth when attacking Narendra Modi,” Gupta said.
“Prime Minister Modi has elevated India’s standing across the world; Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly embarrassed the country through immaturity and reckless rhetoric. India–Italy friendship will continue to grow, but this shameful exchange will remain a permanent example of the Congress leadership’s moral, political and intellectual bankruptcy,” Gupta concluded.
