Complaint filed against Sonia, Rahul, and Priyanka Gandhi over remarks on President Murmu

NEW DELHI: A complaint has been filed against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over remarks made about President Droupadi Murmu. The complaint, lodged by Muzaffarpur-based lawyer Sudhir Ojha, accuses them of disrespecting India’s highest constitutional authority and seeks legal action under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).The case will be heard in a Bihar court on 10 February.
The controversy erupted following Sonia Gandhi’s comment after the President’s address to Parliament ahead of the Budget session. Speaking to reporters, the former Congress chief remarked, “The President was getting very tired by the end… she could hardly speak, poor thing.” Rahul Gandhi, in a separate clip, dismissed the speech as “boring,” while Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also present during the exchange.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan responded strongly, calling the remarks “unacceptable” and asserting that Murmu was not tired. In an official statement, the President’s office said, “Some prominent leaders of the Congress party have made comments that clearly hurt the dignity of the high office, and therefore are unacceptable.” The statement further clarified that Murmu was fully composed throughout her speech and that speaking for marginalised communities “can never be tiring.”
The remarks triggered a sharp political backlash, with the BJP launching an all-out attack against the Congress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the party’s “shahi parivar” (royal family) of insulting Murmu, a tribal leader. Speaking at a rally in Delhi, he said, “One member called her speech ‘boring,’ and another went further, calling her ‘poor’ and ‘tired.’ This is an insult to 10 crore tribal brothers and sisters and every poor person who has risen from the ground.” BJP chief JP Nadda also criticised Sonia Gandhi’s choice of words, calling them “deeply disrespectful.”
Several NDA ministers demanded an apology from Sonia Gandhi, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju leading the charge. “The Congress must apologise to the nation and the President for this insult,” Rijiju said.
Congress leaders, however, defended Sonia Gandhi, alleging that the BJP was twisting her words for political gain. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge countered by pointing out that the government had disrespected President Murmu by not inviting her to the inauguration of the new Parliament building and the Ram temple in Ayodhya. “The BJP had deliberately kept our current President and the previous President away from these historic moments,” Kharge said.
Priyanka Gandhi also came to her mother’s defence, insisting that Sonia Gandhi had the “utmost respect” for Murmu and that her comments were being misrepresented. “My mother simply said that the President must have been tired after such a long speech. It is unfortunate that the media twisted her words,” she stated.
As the political storm intensifies, the Bihar court’s decision on 10 February will determine the legal course of action against the Congress leaders. Meanwhile, the controversy continues to be a focal point in the BJP’s ongoing campaign against the opposition.