Several people were injured after five vehicles in Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s convoy collided with an ambulance on the Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, October 26.

The accident occurred near Haliyapur, around 100 km from Lucknow, according to police cited in the report. The five vehicles involved were travelling at the rear of the convoy. Rahul Gandhi was safe following the incident.

Party workers and security personnel accompanying the convoy were among those injured, according to the report.

Where the accident happened

The collision took place on the Purvanchal Expressway while Rahul Gandhi was travelling from Lucknow towards Sultanpur.

The Congress MP had arrived at Lucknow airport earlier in the day before beginning the journey to Sultanpur, where he was scheduled to appear before a special MP-MLA court.

The court was due to pronounce its verdict in a defamation case related to alleged remarks about Amit Shah, who was the BJP president at the time of the alleged comments.

Details of the defamation case

The case dates back to 2018, when Vijay Mishra, a BJP leader and former chairman of the Sultanpur District Cooperative Bank, filed a complaint against Rahul Gandhi over his alleged remarks about Amit Shah.

The remarks were reportedly made during a campaign rally in Bengaluru ahead of the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections.

Rahul Gandhi was travelling to Sultanpur for the court proceedings when the accident involving vehicles at the rear of his convoy occurred.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has disagreed with National Conference president Farooq Abdullah’s remarks about Pakistan’s role in the Kashmir issue, calling his statement incorrect. Azad also said successive governments at the Centre had contributed to Jammu and Kashmir’s development since Independence.

Azad was responding to Abdullah’s comments at a party event in Budgam district on Saturday. The National Conference chief had claimed that Pakistan’s continued efforts to raise the Kashmir issue at international forums had helped keep the region safe.

“I respect Farooq sahab, but his statement is completely incorrect. If anyone is an enemy of India and the people of J&K, it is Pakistan,” Azad wrote on X.

Azad also referred to the situation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), pointing to protests by residents demanding their rights. He said successive central governments, from Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi, had contributed to Jammu and Kashmir’s development irrespective of their political affiliations.

Imran Ansari also criticises Farooq Abdullah

Shia leader and former minister Imran Ansari also criticised Abdullah’s remarks and urged people in Kashmir not to follow his example.

In a post on X, Ansari said Abdullah and a select group of leaders were free to make such statements. He alleged that ordinary Kashmiris expressing similar views would face detention under laws such as the Public Safety Act (PSA) or the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Ansari also described the National Conference leadership’s position as a “rented rebellion”, according to the report.

BJP demands action against National Conference chief

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had also criticised Abdullah’s remarks and demanded police action against him.

BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur described the statement as “seditious and anti-national”. He argued that a leader who had taken an oath under the Indian Constitution should not question the country’s intentions towards its own people while, in his view, lending political legitimacy to Pakistan’s position.

Thakur also accused Pakistan of contributing to decades of violence and targeted killings in Jammu and Kashmir through its alleged sponsorship of terrorism.

The criticism followed Abdullah’s remarks at the party event, where he credited Pakistan’s efforts to raise the Kashmir issue internationally with helping protect the region. Azad, however, rejected that assessment and maintained that Pakistan was an enemy of India and the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced nationwide protests against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over his remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late father at an event in Patna. The demonstrations are scheduled for Monday, October 26, with the party directing its state units to organise protests at their respective headquarters.

The BJP described Kharge’s comments as “insulting, indecent and offensive” and said they amounted to an attack on the dignity of the Prime Minister’s family. The party has also demanded an unconditional apology from the Congress chief.

According to the BJP’s statement, the demonstrations are intended to register the party’s objection to the remarks. The party has instructed its state units to organise peaceful but firm protests.

What Mallikarjun Kharge said

The controversy erupted on Sunday during an event in Patna marking the birth anniversary of Bihar’s first Chief Minister, Shri Krishna Singh.

While Kharge was addressing the gathering, a person in the audience made a remark that was heard as suggesting that Prime Minister Modi would not leave power. Kharge responded with the Hindi phrase, “Modi ka baap bhi jayega”, which was widely interpreted as a reference to the Prime Minister’s late father.

The exchange triggered a political controversy, with BJP leaders criticising the Congress president’s choice of words and accusing him of crossing the boundaries of political decorum.

However, the man at the centre of the exchange later said his full statement had not been heard. Santosh Kumar claimed he had said that Modi would not leave power unless there was a public revolt, suggesting that his original remark had been misunderstood.

BJP demands an apology

Senior BJP leaders have criticised Kharge’s remarks and called on him to apologise. The party has argued that political disagreements should focus on governance and policies rather than personal references to family members.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also criticised the Congress president, accusing him of disregarding standards of decorum in public life. Other BJP leaders joined the criticism, describing the comment as inappropriate political rhetoric.

The BJP’s planned demonstrations will take place at state party headquarters across the country, according to its announcement.

Congress response to the controversy

The Congress has defended Kharge’s remarks, arguing that the expression was used as an idiom in a political exchange rather than as a literal attack on the Prime Minister’s family.

Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput said Kharge had used an expression in a political context and argued that Prime Minister Modi had also made controversial remarks in the past.

The dispute has added to the ongoing political confrontation between the BJP and the Congress. The BJP’s nationwide protest announcement follows the exchange in Patna, while the Congress has defended its president’s remarks.

Editorial note: This article reflects the protest announcement made on October 25. Since October 26 is the scheduled protest date, avoid changing “plans to hold” or “has announced protests” to “held protests” unless the demonstrations have been independently confirmed.