'Misogynistic Man': Smriti Irani Objects To Rahul Gandhi's 'Flying Kiss' Gesture Before Leaving House

Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi, Union Minister Smriti Irani said such 'undignified conduct' was never before seen in Parliament of the country,

Union Minister Smriti Irani, while speaking in Parliament on no-confidence debate, alleged Rahul Gandhi gave a "flying kiss" to BJP MPs before leaving the House, calling it an "undignified conduct" not seen ever before in Parliament of the country.

The alleged incident happened when Rahul Gandhi was walking out of the Lok Sabha premises and Irani's speech was underway.

"I object to something. The one who was given the chance to speak before me displayed indecency before leaving. It is only a misogynistic man who can give a flying kiss to a Parliament which seats female members of Parliament. Such undignified conduct was never before seen in Parliament of the country," Irani said.

 This is the image of the family, the country has come to know through this Parliament," she said.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla called it a "shameful behaviour by Rahul Gandhi". "Last time aankh maari. This time he blows a 'flying kiss'. Shameful behaviour by Rahul Gandhi vis a vis Smriti Irani ji. Is this not disgraceful and chichora type behaviour? Ironical he speaks about women issues," Poonawalla tweeted.

Union Agriculture Minister Shobha Karandlaje filed a complaint with the Lok Sabha speaker over the "flying kiss", calling Gandhi's behaviour "inappropriate", a report in India Today said. Many women BJP MPs signed the complaint letter.

The 'flying kiss' gesture comes after Rahul Gandhi's 'wink' during the no-trust debate in 2018 created a flutter among BJP MPs. In 2018, Rahul was caught winking on camera after he hugged PM Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha.

Smriti Irani Rakes Up Anti-Sikh Riots, Unrest In J&K

During her speech, Smriti Irani raised issues of 1984 anti-Sikh riots and unrest in Kashmir during Congress regime at Centre. "A Kashmiri Pandit named Girija Tikkoo was gangraped and brutally murdered in Kashmir. When this was shown in a movie, some Congress leaders called it propaganda. The same party leaders are talking about Manipur today," Irani said.

She also took a dig at the Opposition INDIA alliance, saying, "You (Congress) are not India. You define corruption in India. You define incompetence. Manipur is not divided. It is a part of India."

(Note: This report has been updated as parts of Rahul Gandhi’s Wednesday speech in Parliament were expunged.)