Video: Rahul Gandhi gets surprise kiss from woman while leaving stage at Pune event

A video has surfaced on social media purportedly showing a young woman giving Rahul Gandhi a peck on the cheek after the Congress MP posed for selfies with attendees at his youth-centric "Chaatron ki Gunj" outreach event in Maharashtra's Pune.The heartwarming scene unfolded on the stage set up at the venue. Gandhi, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, was seen briefly interacting with the woman after she kissed him.(Video posted on X by @Snowbel)He then walked off the stage with his bodyguards. The video, posted on X, showed concert-like lighting and other arrangements at the venue. Reacting to the clip, a user commented, "How safe a lady has to feel to be so free to express herself. I have noticed this with women of all age groups being this comfortable with this man. It's a different kind of aura."Meanwhile, another wrote, "That is so cute."RAHUL'S EVENT TRIGGERS WAR OF WORDS At "Chhatron Ki Goonj," Gandhi lashed out at the "Manusmriti mindset," urged women to "smash patriarchy", and took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks concerning female protesters who participated at the Cockroach Janta Party-led agitation at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar.The event triggered a war of words between the Congress and the BJP. Keshav Upadhye, the vice-president of the BJP's Maharashtra unit, alleged that Gandhi delivered generic political rhetoric instead of addressing genuine student concerns and also claimed that attendees were ferried in college buses to manufacture a crowd."Rahul Gandhi's Pune event was yet another political comedy show," the BJP leader said in a statement. "While searching for Manuwad, the Congress should first look in the mirror," he added.Upadhye highlighted the Congress's opposition to the candidature of President Droupadi Murmu and the legislation banning triple talaq as evidence of hypocrisy on women's rights, adding that the opposition party was relying on caste and religious divides out of frustration over electoral losses.Hitting back, Congress national secretary Sachin Sawant claimed the saffron party had lost sleep over the "unprecedented response" to Gandhi's interaction despite state authorities imposing transport restrictions and logistical hurdles.Turning his sights on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's GenZ interaction in Nagpur, Sawant asserted that the BJP-led ruling alliance of Maharashtra had systematically undermined prospects for younger people."Perhaps the chief minister will tell them about the importance of Manusmriti, that the patriarchal system is good, and that the RSS and VHP will decide what women should wear, say and how they should behave," the Congress leader said, adding that merely claiming the title of a youth icon does not make one.- Ends(With inputs from PTI)Published On: Aug 24, 2026 09:54 IST