25 Aug 2025 (Punjab Khabarnama Bureau): Home minister Amit Shah reacted to video reels flooding social media featuring the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and called them “programme management”.
In an interview with news agency ANI, Amit Shah said there was a big difference in communication with the public and program management.
“There is a big difference between managing a program and communicating with the public,” Shah said in the interview.
Amit Shah also attacked the Congress, saying that the party seeks to create “illusions” and faces growing “frustration” after electoral defeats.
“They (Congress) want to create a kind of illusion among the people. And they will definitely not succeed, because our direct interaction with the people is many times greater than theirs. We talk to the people. We haven’t just come here and sat by chance. After losing three elections, I think the level of frustration is such that the normal sense of judgment, he (Rahul Gandhi) has lost it,” Shah said.
Rahul Gandhi’s social media campaign
Rahul Gandhi has been on a social media blitzkrieg recently, with reels featuring the leader of the opposition flooding various platforms, especially Instagram. These reels feature Gandhi’s outreach programmes, his criticism of the Narendra Modi government’s policies, and, more recently, his allegations of ‘vote theft’.
The Rae Bareli MP’s popularity on social media is certainly on the rise, with the Congress Instagram page surpassing the Bharatiya Janata Party in terms of followers on the platform. While the Congress now has 9.5 million Instagram followers at the time of writing, the BJP is behind at 8.3 million.
Rahul Gandhi was momentarily taken aback on Sunday during his ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar when an unidentified man suddenly hugged him tightly and planted a kiss on his shoulder. The incident took place in Purnea district, from where Gandhi left on a motorcycle for adjoining Araria, his final stop for the day.
Hundreds of bikers, including RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, were riding alongside Gandhi when a young man, dressed in dark trousers and a shirt, indulged in the apparent display of affection.
Summary:
Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticized Rahul Gandhi’s viral social media reels, claiming they create an illusion rather than addressing real issues, urging people to focus on facts over appearances.