Congress shares Parliament premises flooding video, jabs 'khiladi' Kiren Rijiju

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju recently shared a video of himself swimming in a river in his home state of Arunachal Pradesh. He explained the techniques one must adopt to tackle the gushing waters of the state's rivers, even calling himself a "khiladi (pro)". The Congress on Wednesday used the clip to take a swipe at Rijiju as videos of waterlogging in the Parliament complex went viral following heavy rain. "Yahan ka khiladi Kiren Rijiju, one more reel please," the Congress Kerala account posted, sharing a video of the waterlogged Parliament complex.As an austerity measure, Modiji has turned the new Parliament into an indoor water park, so ministers can shoot viral swimming and diving reels without wasting taxpayers’ money travelling to Arunachal.Yahan ka khiladi @KirenRijiju, one more reel please. pic.twitter.com/mj2A6PKiw4— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) August 25, 2026In the tweet, the Congress also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said his austerity measures led to the new Parliament turning into an indoor water park, so his ministers could shoot reels. It was an apparent swipe at the PM's recent message to NDA ministers about focusing on reels and social media to woo the Gen-Z voters."As an austerity measure, Modiji has turned the new Parliament into an indoor water park, so ministers can shoot viral swimming and diving reels without wasting taxpayers’ money travelling to Arunachal," it tweeted.KIREN RIJIJU VS CONGRESSThe matter started on August 23 after Rijiju tweeted a video of him swimming in Arunachal. He was seen diving into a river and showcasing several swimming strokes. "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 captioned the post, which has garnered 3.2 million views so far.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. pic.twitter.com/ITrb8S3MzN— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) August 23, 2026A few hours later, he responded to the same thread, saying that swimming in Arunachal rivers is nothing like in Yamuna or usual pools, hailing himself as a pro in the task. "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 wrote. A day later, the minister claimed that some Congress leader were trolling him for his swimming techniques. He asserted that swimming in the "toughest rivers" has been an easier task for him since childhood, reaffirming himself as the "khiladi"."In raging rivers, our head should be up, not down as those swimming coaches tell & our body should be more upright, not flat as we do in normal swimming," he tweeted.On Tuesday, Congress's Pawan Khera tweeted a video of Rijiu's swimming and another BJP Minister Giriraj Singh calling himself a "74-year-old newborn". He said that Rahul Gandhi got under their skin."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 Singh has been reduced to calling himself a 74-year-old 'new baby born'. Ye kya haal kar rakha hai aapne inn sab ka Rahul ji (What have you done to all of them)?" Khera wrote on the microblogging platform.The "half-naked" remark did not sit well with Rijiju, who threatened to report the matter to Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma for indiscipline conduct and asked why one would swim in full suit and coat."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? 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 comment. I swim with my villagers to inspire my people & followers," he blasted the Congress leader.Rijiju further wrote that Rahul Gandhi is never on his mind when he is with his own people and that there is no need for Khera to be "abusive needlessly all the time". "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."BJP RESPONDS TO PARLIAMENT COMPLEX FLOODING VIDEOCongress MP Renuka Chowdhury also tweeted the Parliament premises flooding video. In fact, she shared another video that showed leakage in the roof inside the building with a bucket placed strategically beneath it to collect the water."New Parliament of New India — Requires boats not votes," she wrote.- EndsPublished On: Aug 26, 2026 10:50 IST