Rahul Gandhi clarifies on 'dog biscuit' row: 'Nervous dog ate from owner's hand'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi issued a clarification on Monday after a video of him feeding a dog went viral amid the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier claimed that the Wayanad MP fed a “dog's biscuit" to a worker during the ongoing east-to-west march. 

“I called the dog and the owner. The dog was nervous, shivering and when I tried to feed it, the dog got scared. So I gave biscuits to the dog's owner and the dog ate them from his hand. I don't understand what's the issue with it. No, where was he a Congress worker. I don't understand BJP's obsession with dogs," he said. 

The remarks came amid assertions that Gandhi had “given a biscuit rejected by a dog to a party worker" amid the Yatra. Sarma joined the discourse on Monday night, insisting that nobody could “make him eat that biscuit".

“... Not only Rahul Gandhi but the entire family could not make me eat that biscuit. I am a proud Assamese and Indian. I refused to eat and resigned from the Congress," the Chief Minister tweeted.

Sarma has often recounted an earlier incident where he claimed that during a meeting with Rahul Gandhi, the latter's pet dog (Pidi), was given biscuits from a plate, which were then offered to the Congress leaders present.

“Just a few days ago, Congress President Kharge ji compared the party's booth agents to dogs and here Rahul Gandhi is feeding biscuits to a dog during his visit and when the dog did not eat, he gave the same biscuits to his worker," added BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya.

(With inputs from agencies)