POLITICAL POSTER WAR REACHES SALT LAKE AS RAHUL GANDHI’S PARLIAMENTARY IMAGE BECOMES TARGET OF CONTROVERSY

November 3, 2026

A fresh political controversy has erupted in Kolkata after posters depicting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi apparently sleeping inside Parliament appeared at several locations in Salt Lake, including near Karunamoyee Bus Terminus and Karunamoyee Crossing. The posters feature a photograph of Gandhi alongside the provocative caption, "Should the country have a leader like this?", triggering allegations of a politically motivated campaign to undermine the Congress leader's public image.

According to local residents, the posters were not visible in the area until Wednesday evening but appeared at multiple locations overnight. Although the posters do not identify any political party or organisation behind the campaign, the Congress has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of orchestrating a covert publicity offensive against Gandhi. The BJP, however, has denied any involvement, while the identity of those responsible for putting up the posters remains unknown.

West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar alleged that the campaign reflected the BJP's anxiety over Rahul Gandhi's growing political prominence inside and outside Parliament. He described the development as an attempt to tarnish the Congress leader's image and argued that such tactics would instead strengthen the party's political relevance in West Bengal.

The controversy comes a day after BJP national president Nitin Nabin led a major march in Kolkata under the party's 'Save Democracy' campaign. During the rally, Nabin criticised Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders over their protests against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, accusing them of undermining democratic institutions and questioning the Election Commission's integrity.

Despite the political accusations, no organisation has formally claimed responsibility for the posters. The incident has added another dimension to the escalating political confrontation between the BJP and Congress in West Bengal, with the public display of political messaging becoming the latest flashpoint in the state's increasingly contentious political atmosphere.