On 24th March 2023, Rahul Gandhi clarified that he was not wiping his nose on Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s jacket in a video that had gone viral on 18th March 2023. Rahul Gandhi was seen saying so in a video that appeared on 24th March 2023. He is seen helping Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge down the stairs in this video.
While helping Mallikarjun Kharge come down the stairs, Rahul Gandhi said, “If I touch you now, they say I’m wiping my nose on your back. Utter nonsense. Have you seen that? That I am helping you over there, they’re saying that I’m wiping my nose on you.”
On 18th March 2023, a video of Rahul Gandhi went viral. The Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party tweeted that video and wrote in the caption, “Unfortunately, the video epitomises what ‘Gandhi’s’ think of senior leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge. It is highly condemnable that Rahul Gandhi uses somebody as his tissue paper! This Humiliation to a Kannadiga can not be forgiven.”
In an attempt to reply to the BJP, Congress’ social media in-charge Nitin Agarwal said that the Congress scion had invited Kharge to drop him at his house. He said, “Watch the full clip, he invited Kharge Ji to drop him to his house, The 40% Commission Government has left with nothing to campaign & as usual started fake Propaganda.”