When Priyanka Gandhi's Bag Opened up a Storm in the Parliament

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrived at Parliament on Monday carrying a handbag emblazoned with the word "Palestine." The gesture stoked a massive political controversy, with the BJP accusing her of "crass communal posturing." In response, the Wayanad MP called it "typical patriarchy," asserting that she would wear whatever she likes.

"I have said many times what my beliefs are regarding this...Who's going to decide what clothes I wear now? Who's going to decide that? That's typical patriarchy, that you decide what clothes women wear also. I don't subscribe to that, I will wear what I want," said the senior Congress leader.

The BJP strongly criticised Priyanka Gandhi’s gesture, with its IT cell head Amit Malviya accusing Priyanka of "communal virtue signalling" under the guise of speaking out against patriarchy. "At the end of this Parliament session, observe a two-minute silence for everyone in Congress who believed Priyanka Vadra was the solution. Sporting a bag in support of Palestine in Parliament is crass communal posturing," he remarked. "Make no mistake, Congress is the New Muslim League," he added.

BJP MP Gulam Ali Khatana also weighed in, suggesting that such actions were driven by a desire for attention. "People do such things for news. When they have been rejected by the people, they resort to such actions," Khatana said.

"Priyanka Gandhi's bag has 'Palestine' written on it, you can understand that she has no connection with India. Just a few days ago, it had 'Italy' written on it, and now it has 'Palestine'. Who knows when 'India' will be written on it," said BJP MP Manoj Tiwari.

Priyanka Gandhi responded firmly to the backlash, retorting, "Tell them to do something about the atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh, talk to the Bangladesh government, and not say stupid things."

The Wayanad MP has been vocal about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and previously condemned Israel's military actions as "barbaric and inhuman."​