CM Rekha Gupta Slams Congress Over Attack on Pregnant Journalist
Synopsis
Delhi CM Rekha Gupta condemns the alleged assault on pregnant journalist Richa Parashar by Congress supporters, accuses Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi of silence over a JNU MP's alleged misconduct, and calls out the gap between Congress's women's empowerment slogans and its on ground record.
Key Takeaways
Delhi CM Rekha Gupta on 13 October 2026 attacked Congress over the alleged assault on journalist Richa Parashar , who is three months pregnant .
Gupta accused Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi of maintaining silence over a Congress MP allegedly accused of sexually assaulting 11 women at JNU .
She invoked Congress's own 2024 campaign slogan 'Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon' to highlight what she called a contradiction between rhetoric and reality.
Congress had not publicly responded to Gupta's post at the time of publication.
The BJP–Congress dispute over women's safety is a recurring pattern ahead of state elections and parliamentary sessions.
A pregnant journalist allegedly roughed up while covering a protest — and a silence from the opposition that Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta says speaks louder than any slogan. On Tuesday, 13 October 2026, the BJP leader took to X to condemn what she described as the 'anti women face' of Rahul Gandhi and the Indian National Congress, citing the reported assault on journalist Richa Parashar — three months pregnant — during protest coverage.
What happened to Richa Parashar
Gupta's post centres on journalist Richa Parashar, who is three months pregnant and who, according to Gupta's account, was physically assaulted and subjected to abusive language while on duty covering a demonstration. The Chief Minister called the incident 'deeply condemnable,' writing that Parashar's ordeal 'exposes the gap between Congress's words and its actions.' The post was accompanied by no media attachments — the charge rests entirely on Gupta's own statement.
The JNU accusation and Congress's alleged silence
Gupta sharpened her attack by invoking an unrelated but politically charged allegation: that a Congress Member of Parliament stands accused of sexually assaulting 11 women at Jawaharlal Nehru University, and that neither Rahul Gandhi nor Priyanka Gandhi has spoken out. 'Moun dharan kiya hua hai' — 'they have chosen silence' — was the phrase she used. NationPress cannot independently verify the specific allegations against the named MP, and no formal statement from the Congress party was available at the time of publication.
'Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon' — and what Gupta says it is worth
The Congress party leaned heavily on the slogan 'Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon' ('I am a girl, I can fight') during the 2024 general election campaign to project a women's empowerment credential. Gupta turned that phrase directly against the party: 'The real character of political parties that give electoral slogans like "Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon" is now before the public.' The juxtaposition of campaign rhetoric with alleged on ground violence against women journalists is the core of her political argument.
BJP–Congress rivalry on women's safety
This exchange is not an isolated flash. Indian politics has routinely featured both major parties weaponising incidents of gender based violence to question the other's record on women's safety — a pattern that intensifies ahead of state elections and parliamentary sessions. Gupta's closing line was unambiguous: 'The public will give an answer and settle accounts.' The phrasing is a standard electoral warning in Hindi political discourse, but delivered here with pointed timing.
Point of View
Lad Sakti Hoon' slogan is particularly surgical: it turns Congress's own electoral branding into evidence of hypocrisy. Coming alongside the unverified JNU allegation, the post signals that BJP intends to keep women's safety as a live electoral liability for Congress well into the next cycle. Whether Congress responds substantively — or remains strategically quiet — will shape how far this particular flashpoint travels.
NationPress
13 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Richa Parashar and what happened to her?
Richa Parashar is a journalist who, according to Delhi CM Rekha Gupta's post, was physically assaulted and verbally abused while covering a protest. She was reportedly three months pregnant at the time. NationPress cannot independently verify the full details of the incident.
What did Rekha Gupta say about Rahul Gandhi and women's safety?
Gupta accused Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party of having an 'anti women face,' citing the alleged assault on journalist Richa Parashar and Congress's claimed silence over a party MP accused of misconduct at JNU.
What is the Congress slogan 'Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon'?
'Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon' means 'I am a girl, I can fight.' Congress used it as a women's empowerment campaign slogan during the 2024 general election. Gupta cited it to contrast Congress's public messaging with what she called its actions on the ground.
What is the JNU Congress MP allegation Rekha Gupta referred to?
Gupta referred to a Congress MP alleged to have sexually assaulted 11 women at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi. She accused Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi of staying silent on the matter. NationPress cannot independently verify this specific allegation.
Has Congress responded to Rekha Gupta's attack?
No official response from the Indian National Congress to Gupta's post was available at the time of publication on 13 October 2026.
