Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's bag was inspected by Election Commission officials on Saturday as he arrived in Amravati, Maharashtra, for an Assembly election campaign.
The inspection has sparked a political row, with opposition parties accusing the poll body of bias, a charge dismissed by the BJP.
Footage from the incident showed officials examining Gandhi’s helicopter on the ground as the Leader of the Opposition stood nearby.
As his bag underwent scrutiny, Gandhi walked away to engage with party colleagues.
The Congress was quick to respond, citing the event as another example of alleged selective targeting by the Election Commission.
The inspection occurred a day after the party lodged a complaint with the poll body regarding the grounding of Gandhi’s helicopter in Jharkhand, which reportedly delayed or cancelled his public engagements.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh condemned the actions, stating they disrupted the party's campaign and calling for “urgent intervention” to ensure a level playing field.
The controversy has been fuelled by recent inspections of political leaders’ belongings, with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray questioning whether similar measures would be applied to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leaders.
BJP leaders countered the claims, sharing videos of the Election Commission inspecting the bags of NDA leaders, including Amit Shah, Devendra Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar, to demonstrate impartiality.
Addressing supporters in Amravati, Rahul Gandhi took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, suggesting that his recent speeches mirror opposition narratives. Gandhi quipped that Modi might be suffering from memory loss, likening the situation to that of US President Joe Biden.
"My sister was telling me that she heard Modi ji's speech. And in that speech, whatever we say, Modi ji is saying the same thing these days. I don't know, maybe he has lost his memory," Gandhi said.
He added a humorous comparison, stating, “The former President of America used to forget, he had to be reminded from behind. The President of Ukraine came and the President of America said that Russian President Putin has come. He had lost his memory, similarly, our Prime Minister is losing his memory.”
The election in Maharashtra, scheduled for a single phase on 20 November, pits the Mahayuti alliance—comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP—against the Maha Vikas Aghadi, an alliance of Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar’s NCP, and the Congress.
Votes will be counted on 23 November.
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