Odisha Youth Congress (OPYC) supporters hold a ‘gherao’ of the residence of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National spokesperson Sambit Patra, during a protest over Patra’s alleged remarks on Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, in Bhubaneswar on June 8, 2025
| Photo Credit: ANI

Members of the Youth Congress on Sunday (June 8, 2025) staged a protest outside the residence of BJP MP and its national spokesperson Sambit Patra in Odisha’s Puri over his recent remarks against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Holding posters and banners, several youth Congress activists marched to Mr. Patra’s residence in Kalinga Vihar here and engaged in a scuffle with police personnel who prevented them from entering his house, officials said.

During a recent public meeting in Pipili area of Puri, Mr. Patra had alleged that Mr. Gandhi is a “paid agent of China or Pakistan”.

The BJP MP had made similar comments about Mr. Gandhi in New Delhi on June 3.

Mr. Patra’s remarks came after Mr. Gandhi, while addressing a party convention in Madhya Pradesh, had alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “surrendered” after a call from the U.S. President Donald Trump during the India-Pakistan military conflict.

The Youth Congress activists also brought an ambulance to the protest site, claiming that Mr. Patra’s mental condition was not stable.

“Mr. Patra has lost his mental balance. Earlier, he had claimed that PM Modi is bigger than Lord Jagannath. Now, he has made derogatory remarks against Rahul Gandhi. We have come here to take him to a mental hospital in the ambulance,” said Youth Congress State president Ranjit Patra.

The BJP leader has tried to create disturbance and divide the country by making such a remark against Mr. Gandhi, alleged Yashir Nawaz, another Youth Congress leader.