NEW DELHI: Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday slammed Congress leader Pawan Khera for making “indecent comments” about him after he shared a video of himself swimming in Arunachal Pradesh.In a social media post on X, Rijiju reminded Khera that he has fought eight elections so far, while the Congress leader is a first-term MP, nominated to Rajya Sabha by his party.”You are a 1st term MP, nominated by your party in Rajya Sabha & I’ve fought 8 elections so far. That doesn’t give you the right to make indecent comments. I swim with my villagers to inspire my people & followers,” Rijiju said.”Rahul ji doesn’t exist in my mind when I’m with my people. But Congressis started commenting that I can’t swim like Rahul Ji. So, I responded since I don’t take training for activities. I’m a natural khiladi in our mighty rivers. Don’t be abusive needlessly all the time,” he added.Rijiju also took a dig at Khera over his spat with Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, saying that he will report the Congress leader’s “indiscipline conduct” to Sarma.”Dear Pawan Khera, I’ll report to CM Himanta Biswa Sarma ji about your indiscipline conduct if you talk about half-naked swimming. Do you swim with full suit & coat?” Rijiju said.Rijiju’s reaction came after Khera said that leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has “gotten under BJP’s skin”, claiming that Rijiju “can’t even go for a half-naked swim without invoking Rahul Gandhi.””Imagine how badly Rahul Ji has gotten under the BJP’s skin. On one hand, Kiren Rijiju can’t even go for a half-naked swim without invoking Rahul Gandhi. On the other, senior citizen Giriraj Singhbjp has been reduced to calling himself a 74-year-old “new baby born”.””What have you done to all of them, Rahul ji?” he added.Earlier, Rijiju shared a video of himself swimming in the rivers of Arunachal Pradesh.”Never go to deep water, if you do not know swimming. Many people have drowned in the river. The rivers in Arunachal Pradesh are huge and very deep,” he said.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesRijiju also shared another video explaining why swimming in the rivers of Arunachal Pradesh is different from swimming in a pool or calmer waters.”Some people might think swimming in gushing rivers of Arunachal Pradesh is like swimming in pools or rivers like Yamuna. In raging rivers, our head should be up, not down & body should be more upright, not straight as we keep in swimming competition. Mein yahan ka khiladi hun,” he said.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorRohitashwa RanjanRohitashwa Ranjan is a digital journalist with The Times of India, where he decodes Indian politics as a carefully staged production with scripts, subtext and everything behind. His stories track elections, party dynamics and the things that often are buried beneath the headlines. When not parsing vote shares or alliances, he is usually reading between the lines, where the real story tends to reside.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosExplained: Why Are Sugar Prices Rising In India Despite Record Sugarcane Production?Supreme Court Notice To 20 Rebel TMC MPs On Abhishek Banerjee’s Disqualification Plea’People Were Shot In The Head’: Sonam Wangchuk Seeks Inquiry Report Into 2025 Ladakh ViolenceAjeet Bharti EXCLUSIVE On ‘Reservation Hatao Andolan’, Harsh Dubey, CJP & His Criticism Of BJPTMC’s Abhishek Banerjee Moves Supreme Court Over Delay In Disqualification Of 20 Rebel TMC MPsTrump Pushes $103,265 H-1B Fee; 71% Indian Professionals Brace For Major Immigration BlowJaishankar Meets Putin In Moscow, India-Russia Trade Soars As Both Sides Target $100 Billion By 2030Fresh Kashmiri Pandit Threat: Hit List Reveals Addresses, Phone Numbers, Vehicle Details OnlineDelhi-NCR Rain Fury: Gurugram Under Orange Alert, Work From Home Advisory Issued For August 25’Ram-Ram Inside, Fish Feast Outside’: Yogi Adityanath Slams Cong Over Ayodhya Event; Ajay Rai Reacts123PhotostoriesFrom castor to coconut oil: Natural oils for faster beard growthTraitors 2: From Shalini Passi’s over Rs 2,000 crore family wealth to Mallika Sherawat’s Rs 170 crore fortune, here’s a look at the net worth of popular contestants7 simple ways to live every day like a holiday like Dua Lipa, despite working full-timeUrvashi Rautela makes a tricolour statement in a one-of-a-kind gown that took 3 months to createOptical illusion personality test: The object you spot first reveals the trait you’re probably in denial about‘They don’t love you, they love your name’:Asim Riaz takes explosive dig at ex Himanshi Khurana, calls her a ‘fame digger’First egg, now chicken? 7 things to know about the Salmonella outbreak in the UKHow to remove coconut flesh from the shell easily: 5 simple tricks without wasting the coconutFrom flamingos to puffins: 5 birds whose beaks look hand-painted by an artistMaria Sharapova to Naomi Osaka: 5 athletes who are serving major fashion moments off the court123Hot PicksBPSC exam rowSugar priceNew Zealand social media banTrump tariffICSI CS june resultNEET UG 2026Sridhar VembuTrump’s SpaceXNEET PG 2026 admit cardTop TrendingBandra Parsi BungalowSuresh GowdaRupali ChakankarKarnataka Food Licence SuspensionAllahabad High CourtMumbai Airport DemolitionRam RahimDelhi Women AccidentDelhi Gurgaon RainMaharashtra Hill Tragedy
NEW DELHI: Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday slammed Congress leader Pawan Khera for making “indecent comments” about him after he shared a video of himself swimming in Arunachal Pradesh.In a social media post on X, Rijiju reminded Khera that he has fought eight elections so far, while the Congress leader is a first-term MP, nominated to Rajya Sabha by his party.“You are a 1st term MP, nominated by your party in Rajya Sabha & I’ve fought 8 elections so far. That doesn’t give you the right to make indecent comments. I swim with my villagers to inspire my people & followers,” Rijiju said.“Rahul ji doesn’t exist in my mind when I’m with my people. But Congressis started commenting that I can’t swim like Rahul Ji. So, I responded since I don’t take training for activities. I’m a natural khiladi in our mighty rivers. Don’t be abusive needlessly all the time,” he added.Rijiju also took a dig at Khera over his spat with Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, saying that he will report the Congress leader’s “indiscipline conduct” to Sarma.“Dear Pawan Khera, I’ll report to CM Himanta Biswa Sarma ji about your indiscipline conduct if you talk about half-naked swimming. Do you swim with full suit & coat?” Rijiju said.Rijiju’s reaction came after Khera said that leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has “gotten under BJP’s skin”, claiming that Rijiju “can’t even go for a half-naked swim without invoking Rahul Gandhi.”“Imagine how badly Rahul Ji has gotten under the BJP’s skin. On one hand, Kiren Rijiju can’t even go for a half-naked swim without invoking Rahul Gandhi. On the other, senior citizen Giriraj Singhbjp has been reduced to calling himself a 74-year-old “new baby born”.”“What have you done to all of them, Rahul ji?” he added.Earlier, Rijiju shared a video of himself swimming in the rivers of Arunachal Pradesh.“Never go to deep water, if you do not know swimming. Many people have drowned in the river. The rivers in Arunachal Pradesh are huge and very deep,” he said.
Share your thoughts in the comments
Be respectful · TOI community guidelines
Rijiju also shared another video explaining why swimming in the rivers of Arunachal Pradesh is different from swimming in a pool or calmer waters.“Some people might think swimming in gushing rivers of Arunachal Pradesh is like swimming in pools or rivers like Yamuna. In raging rivers, our head should be up, not down & body should be more upright, not straight as we keep in swimming competition. Mein yahan ka khiladi hun,” he said.
