Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi made a fiery speech in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday for the first time after his membership was restored following the Supreme Court's verdict of staying his conviction in a criminal defamation case. While his speech in the lower house gained traction, what came next was nothing short of a bombshell - a shocking allegation from Union Minister Smriti Irani, who took charge of attacking Rahul Gandhi in the house. 

Smriti Irani, in her response to Rahul Gandhi's speech about the Manipur violence and the failure of the Modi regime in the state, had resorted to the BJP's weapon of whataboutery and went on to make a shocking allegation that Rahul Gandhi had blown a flying kiss in the Lok Sabha. While speaking during the debate on the no-confidence motion against the Modi regime, Irani alleged that Rahul Gandhi had blown a flying kiss before leaving the house. 

"The one who was given the chance to speak before me displayed indecency before leaving. It is only a misogynistic man who can give a flying kiss to a Parliament which seats female members of Parliament. Such undignified conduct has never before seen in the Parliament of the country", Irani stated. Speaking outside the Parliament, Irani said, "When the House of the People, where laws are made to protect the dignity of women, during the course of a session stands witness to a man's misogyny, my question is should  he be brought to task?"

Fuelling this issue, the BJP has lodged a complaint with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla against Rahul Gandhi. Union Minister and BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje said several women MPs have filed a complaint against the Congress leader. The complaint, signed by scores of MPs, read, "I would like to draw your attention towards the incident in the House by Mr Rahul Gandhi, MP from Wayanad, Kerala. The said member has behaved in an indecent manner and making inappriopriate gesture towards Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Minister and Member of this House while she was addressing the House." 

"We demand stringent action against such behavior by the Member, which has not only insulted the dignity of women members in the House. It has also brought disrepute and lowered the dignity of this august House", the complaint further read. Karandlaje stated, "What is this behavior? What kind of a leader is he? We have complained to the Speaker to take CCTV footage of it and take action against him. This is what we have demanded." 

As the development has sparked a nationwide attention, several opposition leaders slammed Irani for not speaking about the violence and harassment against women in Manipur. While Rahul Gandhi is yet to react to the allegation, the Congress party has now said that Rahul Gandhi was gesturing towards the treasury benches in general and that it was not directed towards any minister or MP in particular. 

NDTV has quoted a Congress leader saying, "Rahul Gandhi gestured towards the treasury benches as he was leaving with a flying kiss as he had called them brothers and sisters. He did not direct it towards any particular minister or MP, and not at all towards Union Minister Smriti Irani."