Do you swim in suit, coat? Rijiju responds to Pawan Khera's 'half-naked' jibe

Days after Union Minister Kiren Rijiju posted a video of himself swimming in an Arunachal Pradesh river and challenged Rahul Gandhi to do the same, the seemingly light-hearted fitness banter has turned into a war of words with Congress MP Pawan Khera.Khera, recently elected to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka, mocked Rijiju for invoking the Leader of Opposition even while swimming. He also took a swipe at BJP leader Giriraj Singh for describing himself as a 74-year-old “newborn baby” at an event.“Imagine how badly Rahul Ji has gotten under the BJP’s skin. Ye kya haal kar rakha hai aapne inn sab ka Rahul ji? (What have you done to them?),” Khera wrote on X.RIJIJU HITS BACK AT ‘HALF-NAKED’ BARBRijiju objected to Khera’s reference to his attire and asked whether the Congress leader went swimming in a suit and coat. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister also compared their political careers. He pointed out that Khera was a first-term Rajya Sabha MP elected on a Congress ticket, while he had contested eight elections.“That doesn’t give you the right to make an indecent comment,” Rijiju said, adding that he swam with villagers to inspire them and his followers. Rijiju said Gandhi was not on his mind when he was spending time with people in his home state. He claimed that he invoked Gandhi only after Congress supporters compared their swimming abilities.“I don’t take training for activities. I’m a natural khiladi in our mighty rivers. Don’t be abusive needlessly all the time,” he said.‘WILL REPORT YOU TO HIMANTA’Rijiju also told Khera that he would report his “indiscipline” to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma if he continued making abusive comments on social media.The remark appeared to refer to the bitter confrontation between Khera and Sarma earlier this year.In April, Assam Police visited Khera’s Delhi residence in connection with a case linked to his allegations against Sarma and his wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma.Khera had alleged that she held multiple passports and owned foreign properties that were not declared in the Chief Minister’s election affidavit.Sarma rejected the allegations as false and malicious, claiming that the Congress had relied on material circulated by Pakistani social media accounts.After police did not find Khera at his residence, Sarma said he would be traced even if he hid in the “deepest abyss”.FITNESS BANTER TURNS POLITICALThe latest exchange began after Rijiju posted a video of himself swimming in a fast-flowing river in Arunachal Pradesh.When social media users compared him with Gandhi, who has often spoken about swimming and martial arts as part of his fitness routine, Rijiju said such activities had been part of his life since childhood.“Rahul ji may take training for such activities, but it’s a normal routine in my life. I don’t take training, as these are child’s play for me since childhood,” he wrote.Rijiju also warned people against entering deep water if they did not know how to swim. He said swimming in Arunachal Pradesh’s strong river currents required a different technique from swimming in a pool or calmer waters.“Mein yahan ka khiladi hun,” he added.RIJIJU-RAHUL FITNESS BANTERRijiju and Gandhi have previously exchanged light-hearted comments about exercise and martial arts.In December 2025, Rijiju shared a video of a conversation with Gandhi in Parliament and said they were discussing fitness, not politics. Gandhi reportedly asked him about his exercise routine and invited him to train together.Gandhi referred to the conversation during the Budget session in February while explaining jiu-jitsu techniques and using them as a political analogy.The exchange continued in June when Rijiju wished Gandhi on his 56th birthday.“Thank you for the warm wishes, Kiren Rijiju Ji. When are we doing our jiu-jitsu session?” Gandhi responded.- EndsPublished By: Aprameya RaoPublished On: Aug 25, 2026 18:11 IST