A three-month pregnant Oneindia journalist, Richa Parashar, was pushed, shoved and dragged by Rahul Gandhi and his security personnel during an Indian National Congress-led protest on the premises of the Supreme Court on the evening of October 12th (Monday). She stated that instead of receiving assistance, his supporters further targeted her and dismissed her ordeal, as she was left shocked following the distressing experience.
Parashar asserted having sustained injuries across various parts of her body. However, the opposition ecosystem, which readily seizes any opportunity to criticise the Modi government and authorities over women’s safety and protection, not only dismissed the incident and cleared the Gandhi scion of responsibility but also redirected the blame toward Parashar’s employers for assigning her to cover the protest.
In a bizarre display of insensitivity and deflection, Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury rejected the accusations, ridiculed the journalist, and attributed the allegations to a script orchestrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She stated, “Where do these allegations come from? Whoever the BJP’s scriptwriters are, they should look for another job,” adding that the incident was a “worn-out” tactic of the saffron party.
She then questioned Parashar’s credibility as a journalist and even cast doubt on her pregnancy, asking, “Who exactly is this journalist? Is she really a journalist? Is she even pregnant? Whenever the BJP intervenes in an issue, even the truth begins to be questioned. So, all this is just drama,” announcing the Leader of the Opposition as a champion of women’s rights and blaming the BJP for using women for its political agenda.
Delhi: Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury, responding to allegations that Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi misbehaved with a woman journalist, says, ”Where do these allegations come from? Whoever the BJP’s scriptwriters are, they should look for another job. Everyone is familiar with the BJP’s worn-out tactics. Who exactly is this journalist? Is she really a journalist? Is she even pregnant? Whenever the BJP intervenes in an issue, even the truth begins to be questioned. So, all this is just drama. Rahul Gandhi has always stood up for women’s rights. Now, a woman is being brought forward in this case as well. This is how the BJP operates: use women, and when nothing else works, put a woman forward.”
— IANS (@ians_india) October 13, 2026
While the Rajya Sabha MP demonstrated a stunning lack of concern or empathy toward a woman, other members of the ecosystem were similarly focused on defending Rahul Gandhi and attributing blame to virtually everything except the actual perpetrators. The Wire’s propagandist Rohini Singh took aim at Parashar’s media outlet for sending her “to cover a massive, overcrowded protest march.” She remarked, “What kind of employer puts an employee in such a potentially dangerous situation?”
Which organisation thought it was acceptable to send a pregnant employee with a complicated pregnancy to cover a massive, overcrowded protest march? What kind of employer puts an employee in such a potentially dangerous situation?
— Rohini Singh (@rohini_sgh) October 13, 2026
Sakshi Joshi, another member of this group, first wrote that Parashar was not at the location for the agitation, insinuating that she had engineered the incident rather than the Congress leader or his supporters. She subsequently proceeded to attack the journalist and downplayed her suffering.
Joshi commented that “knowing she was pregnant, if she didn’t even have an idea how protests are, and the crowd can hurt her, then I don’t have anything more to say to it.” She alleged that journalists are regularly picked up and detained during such demonstrations, further trivialising both the event and Parashar’s grievance.
She didn’t go to cover an event It was a protest … and knowing she was pregnant if she didn’t even have an idea how protests are and the crowd can hurt her, then I don’t have anything more to say to it. Everyday there are visuals of even journalists getting detained and picked up roughly, which journalist going to cover a protest wouldn’t have known about this !
— Sakshi Joshi (@sakshijoshii) October 13, 2026
Congress spokesperson, Dr Pooja Tripathi, saw it as a window to appease her party superiors in the party. She claimed that Pawan Khera, who has completely disregarded the latest incident, told her to prioritise her health and refrain from travelling to Delhi for a significant program due to her pregnancy.
I was 7 months pregnant when there was this huge rally in Delhi preceded by a briefing in media cell on a topic in which everyone was called to attend! I called my superiors and told them I am pregnant and I am really second guessing coming to Delhi ! @Pawankhera sir told me “Nothing is more important than your health!” While I wish best of health to the journalist you need better bosses who don’t risk your pregnancy for a story ! P.S- Mine are very good !
— Dr Pooja Tripathi (@Pooja_Tripathii) October 13, 2026
The entire cabal, spanning from its online trolls to its members, was unified in its aggressive effort to divert attention from Rahul Gandhi. Hence, an infamous Congress troll, Amock, also wanted Oneindia management to be penalised for the instance rather than those truly at fault.
Which channel she works with? Owner must be held accountable for sending a three month pregnant woman journalist on ground where 2 lakh+ people were supposed to gather This is peak ignorant 🤦♂️
— Amock_ (@Amockx2022) October 13, 2026
Roshan Rai, another Congress supporter, alleged that the incident was a “gimmick” plotted at BJP headquarters to discredit Rahul Gandhi, but was “foiled.” According to him, Parashar was not documenting the protests but intentionally arrived at the crowded location. He then alleged that she instructed the cameraman to fall and take her down with him.
Rai added that she immediately contacted BJP leaders afterwards as a paid campaign commenced, which included liberals who were also given a “handsome” figure. He then declared that “no amount of tricks will work” and “vote thieves will be brought to justice.”
HUGE : As per sources, the whole gimmick of that pregnant woman journalist was planned in advance at the BJP HQ to defame Rahul Gandhi but was foiled. Here are the facts : > That journalist wasn’t even covering the protests > She deliberately went to a crowded place > Asked her cameraperson to get pushed and take her down when he falls > She immediately reached out to BJP leaders > Paid tweets immediately started about the incident, even Liberal handles were paid handsomely to post that clip No amount of tricks will work now, Vote chors will be brought to justice.
— Roshan Rai (@RoshanKrRaii) October 13, 2026
When hypocrisy reaches staggering proportions
The entire Congress ecosystem has made a consistent effort to shield Rahul Gandhi from accountability for his actions, much as it has done through his multiple political debacles. However, these very people lose no time in jumping the gun against the state, police, administration and, specifically, the Modi government in relation to women, often before the facts have even emerged.
However, these self-proclaimed flag-bearers of feminism, including Rahul Gandhi, who attack the centre one day and vow to smash patriarchy the next, have left no stone unturned in maligning the woman, raising doubts about her profession and even ridiculing her pain. Their outrage, it seems, comes with a political filter. The demand for answers applies to their opponents, while their own leaders are entitled to protection at any cost.
For them, the political ideology determines whose complaint deserves to be heard and whose dignity can be sacrificed as their lofty promises of standing up for women ring hollow. However, the hypocrisy does not end there. These same people lose no time in crying police brutality and state repression, even over non-issues, when their interests are involved.
An image of a woman with a child inside a police vehicle recently went viral online. The incident is linked to the supposed student agitation in Mumbai, and the demonstrators were apprehended from a Congress office. Obviously, it incited immediate anger and was circulated with dramatic remarks like “how dead must your soul be for this to not fill you with rage?” The state was portrayed as a villain that had unleashed its might against a woman carrying an infant.
How dead must your soul be for this to not fill you with rage? https://t.co/k5ISE64fsm
— রাজ শেখর (@DiscourseDancer) October 11, 2026
This group, however, has displayed an entirely different attitude towards Parashar because the incident pertained to Rahul Gandhi. Their alleged empathy readily turns into hostility when the person could threaten their political narrative. Otherwise, they would have scrutinised the Lok Sabha MP for showing off his power against a defenceless female journalist, and that too without any provocation.
Or they would have asked similar questions to the woman about bringing a baby into the midst of a protest. However, this series of questions and implications was reserved solely for Parashar, who was apparently expected to put her life on hold simply because she was pregnant.
These self-styled progressives and liberals expect her and her employers to treat a natural process as a disability, as though it should confine a woman to the sidelines and prevent her from going about her everyday life. They have transformed pregnancy into a taboo that should restrict a woman’s choices, rather than an organic or biological phase that does not strip her of her agency or right to work.
This is precisely what exposes their concern for women as selective and performative, which is swiftly withdrawn from those who do not fit into their political spectrum.
Furthermore, this coterie routinely presses Gen Z and even Gen Alpha to take to the streets against the government, presenting it as an assertion of their democratic rights. Of course, the moment authorities act in response to violence or unrest, the protestors are pronounced as victims and the state is denigrated.
Yet, no one seems interested in probing where the parents or guardians are when youngsters are drawn into large, volatile gatherings that, by this ecosystem’s own admission, are potentially dangerous. More importantly, they are pushed to the forefront where violence and vandalism can erupt, with the rhetoric of the “right to protest” used to gloss over unlawful conduct.
Those who are not even old enough to vote are encouraged to become the foot soldiers of political chaos and are “advised” to partake in illegal activities, which could jeopardise their future and career prospects. They are used as the poster child to project a picture of widespread anti-government sentiment.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has offered a prime example of how Gen Z can be drawn into political campaigns to advance a partisan agenda. The vile abuses and insults hurled at Prime Minister Narendra Modi were also brushed aside, with demands for no action against them.
Hence, if Parashar should be mindful of the risks tied to covering a protest, why does the same principle not apply to others? Surely, this cabal cannot claim the freedom to act in blissful ignorance while placing the entire burden of awareness and responsibility on one woman or their opponents.
Do only they have the privilege of this obnoxious liberty, while a pregnant woman cannot perform her professional duties in their idea of democracy? These genuine inquiries evaporate in the face of political gain.
Conclusion
A woman’s misery is being turned into mockery, with political conspiracies invoked to shield Rahul Gandhi after his objectionable act. The people who sermonise about empathy, gender equality, women’s safety and whatnot have wasted no time in attacking Parashar. Their concerns about women are mere political tools, championed and discarded in line with their convenience. The episode lays bare their hypocrisy and shows how little their commitments mean in light of their political loyalties and benefits.
