Bhubaneswar, June 8: Members of the Youth Congress held a protest on Sunday outside the residence of BJP MP and national spokesperson Sambit Patra, condemning his recent comments targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Protesters, carrying banners and placards, marched to Patra’s home in Kalinga Vihar in Bhubaneswar and clashed briefly with police who blocked their entry, officials said.
The demonstration followed remarks Patra made at a public meeting in Pipili, where he accused Gandhi of being a “paid agent of China or Pakistan.” He repeated similar allegations during a press event in New Delhi on June 3.
Patra’s statements were in response to Gandhi's accusation at a party convention in Madhya Pradesh, where he claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi "surrendered" to U.S. President Donald Trump during a past India-Pakistan military standoff.
In a dramatic gesture, Youth Congress members brought an ambulance to the protest, suggesting Patra required psychiatric evaluation.
“Patra has lost his mental balance,” said State Youth Congress president Ranjit Patra, referencing the BJP leader’s previous controversial claim that Modi was greater than Lord Jagannath.
