The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has expressed deep concern and outrage over the recent death threat issued against Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi during a televised debate, calling it “unacceptable in a democracy” and demanding that it be treated with the utmost seriousness.

In a press release, the NPCC urged the Central Government to bring the offender to justice and to set a strong example against what it described as a “barbaric and homicidal mindset.” It also appealed to every citizen, irrespective of political affiliation, to condemn the act and uphold the sanctity of India’s democratic traditions.

The NPCC stated that the threat made by a BJP spokesperson from Kerala cannot be dismissed as casual or emotional rhetoric. It is a dangerous and deliberate provocation that reflects the disturbing trend of normalising threats and violence against political opponents, it added.

The NPCC stood firmly with the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in demanding that the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah to initiate immediate and decisive action against the individual responsible. Anything less would signal complicity on the part of those in authority and embolden similar reckless acts in the future, it said.

“As a nation, we have borne our share of the bitter and devastating consequences of political assassinations. The tragic loss of leaders such as Smt. Indira Gandhi and Shri Rajiv Gandhi remains a painful reminder of why such threats to public leaders should be addressed with utmost seriousness and urgency,” the NPCC reminded.

The NPCC reiterated that political differences must always be resolved within the framework of the Constitution, through dialogue, debate, and democratic means.

“To openly issue a death threat against the Leader of the Opposition, who represents millions of citizens and their voices, is nothing short of an attack on India’s democracy itself,” it said.