'Janeu' Politics Is Back As Former Bihar Congress Chief Takes A Veiled Dig At Rahul Gandhi

The BJP has once again raked up the 'janeu' controversy associated with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Here's what the row, which has sustained over the years, is all about.

Rahul Gandhi during his 2018 Pushkar visit. ( Image Source :X@INCIndia )

Rahul Gandhi's caste is back in focus right before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Reason? Former Bihar Congress president Anil Sharma's comment on janeu, or the sacred thread worn by Brahmins. Anil Sharma, who left the Congress on March 31, joined the BJP on Thursday, April 4. He claimed that the Congress leadership was becoming communal by the day. "Sonia Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge are the most communal people," he said.

He said Sonia Gandhi rejected the invitation for the Ayodhya Ram Mandir pran pratishtha (consecration) ceremony. "But she sent two Christian Congress leaders as the Congress's representatives to Rome, Italy, for the event commemorating the sainthood of Mother Teresa," Sharma said. He further targeted Kharge, saying the Congress president was biased towards "a certain community".

'Janeudhaari Sanatani'

What was notable was his remark concerning janeu. While slamming the Congress leaders for their "anti-Sanatan" stance, Anil Sharma mentioned that he is a "janeudhaari Sanatani". "I am not a Sanatani who wears his janeu over the clothes. I got my sacred thread through strict customs. But today, there is a farce going on to mislead a large community in the nation with janeu," he said.

The janeu, or yagnopavit, is a sacred thread symbolising restraint and a disciplined life among Hindus. It is usually worn by Brahmins.

Shri Anil Sharma, Shri Upendra Yadav & Shri Gourav Vallabh join the BJP at BJP headquarters, New Delhi. #JoinBJP https://t.co/zGolIwo7Uk

— BJP (@BJP4India) April 4, 2024

Rahul Gandhi's Janeu Row

Rahul Gandhi's gotra has been the topic of debate for a long time. In 2017, the debate on Rahul Gandhi's caste gathered steam after he reportedly revealed himself to be a Hindu of the Dattatreya caste during a temple visit. However, a controversy arose after it was alleged that Rahul Gandhi's register entry described him as a "non-Hindu".

The Congress held a press conference to dispel the "lies". The party said this was only a tact of the BJP to "divert attention from the real issues".

Here is the original signature of Rahul Gandhi at Somnath Temple.Very clearly. The other signature is written as 'Rahul Gandhi ji', why would he write ji? Don't know who wrote it. BJP doing what it does best, diverting from real issues: Deependra Hooda,Congress pic.twitter.com/CeRqJnlA6A

— ANI (@ANI) November 29, 2017

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala had said: "Not only is Rahul Gandhi ji a Hindu, he is a 'janeudhari' Hindu. So BJP should not bring down the political discourse to this level."

The janeu became the centre of another row during the Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra as well when Rahul Gandhi was photographed with a child wearing the sacred thread. Many targeted the Congress leader saying that the thread was worn on the wrong side (right shoulder to left hip) and that it was a sign that the "yatra was inauspicious".

Dear @RahulGandhi ,
Janeu is worn
over the left shoulder (Upaviti) for auspicious occasions, & it is worn on the right shoulder (Prachnaviti) for inauspicious occasions.
So maybe the kid is trying to tell you he doesn’t find ur Yatra auspicious, & u just didn’t realise it pic.twitter.com/IpuuOSAiSi

— Rupa Murthy (@rupamurthy1) January 6, 2023

Is Rahul Gandhi A Janeu-dhari Brahmin?

The controversy over Rahul Gandhi's gotra gathered steam in 2018 when he visited the Pushkar temple in Rajasthan. A report by news agency PTI quoted temple priest Dinanath Kaul as saying that Rahul Gandhi's gotra is 'Dattatreya'. "He is a Kashmiri Brahmin. Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, Maneka Gandhi, and Sonia Gandhi have come and offered prayers at the ghat and it is recorded with us," Kaul was quoted as saying.

Congress President @RahulGandhi pays his respects at the Bramha temple in Pushkar. pic.twitter.com/embjIBYNCx

— Congress (@INCIndia) November 26, 2018

His 'Brahmin caste' was also confirmed by the priest who said: "Dattatreya are Kauls, who are Kashmiri Brahmins." Congress leader Digvijaya Singh also posted pictures of the pothi or records of Rahul's family in an X (previously Twitter) post.

Congress President @RahulGandhi pays his respects at the Bramha temple in Pushkar. pic.twitter.com/embjIBYNCx

— Congress (@INCIndia) November 26, 2018

How Rahul Became 'Gandhi'

According to journalist and author Minhaz Merchant, Rahul Gandhi's ancestors from his grandmother former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's side were from Kashmir. "Nehru family patriarch, Pandit Raj Kaul, migrated from Srinagar in 1700s to court of Emperor Farrukh Syer in Delhi," says Merchant, the author of Rajiv Gandhi's biography — 'Rajiv Gandhi, The End Of A Dream'.

Nehru family patriarch, Pandit Raj Kaul, migrated from Srinagar in 1700s to court of Emperor Farrukh Syer in Delhi https://t.co/F49qaV8wfq

— Minhaz Merchant (@MinhazMerchant) May 29, 2016

The Kauls are known to be Hindus from Kashmir, better known as 'Kashmiri Pandits'. The Kaul Brahmins identify themselves with the Dattatreya gotra. The family surname of Rahul Gandhi's great-grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru was Kaul. However, when Jawaharlal Nehru's grandfather Raj Kaul moved to Delhi from Kashmir, he took a place near a canal. Jawaharlal Nehru in his 'An Autobigraphy' wrote: "A jagir with a house situated on the banks of a canal had been granted to Raj Kaul and, from the back of this residence, 'Nehru' (from nahar came to be attached to his name. Kaul had been the family name; this changed to Kaul-Nehru; and in later years, became simply 'Nehru'."

When Jawaharlal's daughter Indira Priyadarshini Nehru married Feroze Gandhi (born Ghandy), a Parsi, she took his surname. The Gandhi family of the present day have retained this surname. Thus, Rahul, who has a Kashmiri Pandit lineage, became Gandhi.

However, the BJP has repeatedly questioned the Gandhi family scion over his claims of being a 'janeudhari Brahmin'. Recently, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma hit out at Rahul Gandhi, calling the 'Gandhi' surname "duplicate".