Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has responded to the row over a viral video in which he is seen feeding biscuits to a puppy during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Jharkhand. The video showed Mr Gandhi petting a puppy and then feeding it biscuits. At one point, the puppy refuses to eat and Mr Gandhi then gives the biscuits to a supporter speaking to him. The BJP had targeted the Congress leader over the video, alleging that he treats his supporters like dogs.

Mr Gandhi has now said that the man in the video is actually the dog’s owner. “The dog was nervous, shivering and when I tried to feed it, it got scared. So I gave biscuits to the dog’s owner and the dog ate them from his hand. I don’t understand what’s the issue,” he said during a media interaction, a video of which was shared by news agency ANI.

#WATCH | On the viral video of him feeding a dog during the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi says, “…I called the dog and the owner. The dog was nervous, shivering and when I tried to feed it, the dog got scared. So I gave biscuits to the dog’s owner and… pic.twitter.com/QhO6QvfyNB

— ANI (@ANI) February 6, 2024

Asked about the BJP’s allegations that claimed that the man in the video was a Congress worker, he replied, “No, he was not a Congress worker. I don’t understand the BJP’s obsession with dogs. How have dogs harmed them?”

Pallavi ji, not only Rahul Gandhi but the entire family could not make me eat that biscuit. I am a proud Assamese and Indian . I refused to eat and resign from the Congress. https://t.co/ywumO3iuBr

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) February 5, 2024

Earlier, several BJP leaders targeted the Congress MP over the viral video. Among them was Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Mr Sarma, who was earlier in the Congress, has often narrated an incident, in which he and other senior Congress leaders had visited Mr Gandhi for a meeting. During the meeting, he says, Mr Gandhi’s pet dog Pidi ate biscuits from a plate. The Congress leaders were then offered biscuits from the same plate, Mr Sarma has claimed in multiple interviews. During these interviews, Mr Sarma has used the alleged incident to bolster his claim that Mr Gandhi is not serious about key party matters. He has also said he left the Congress soon after.

Responding to an ‘X’ user, who had tagged him on the puppy video, Mr Sarma doubled down on his charge. He said “not only Rahul Gandhi but the entire family could not make me eat that biscuit”. “I am a proud Assamese and Indian. I refused to eat and resign from the Congress,” he said.

Another BJP leader, Amit Malviya, said “it is natural for a party to become extinct when its prince behaves treats party workers like dogs”.

Financial allocations to states – whether tax devolution or funds from welfare schemes sponsored by the central government – are based on uniform guidelines that leave no room for discrimination, Finance Secretary TV Somanathan told NDTV Tuesday afternoon in an exclusive interview.

Mr Somanathan’s comments come a day after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury sparred over allegations non-BJP states are “deprived of (financial) dues.

Mr Somanathan today underlined what the Finance Minister said, explaining, “In the operation of the Finance Ministry as regards funding to states, we go by formulae that have been laid down by the Finance Commission… we have not discriminated, for or against, any state government.”

“I won’t go into the political aspects but I don’t think there is any conscious discrimination.”

He said sharing of tax revenue – distribution of GST has been a contentious issue for years, with Bengal and Punjab among states frequently claiming withholding dues – is based on percentages laid down by the Finance Commission and audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

These, he stressed, could not be changed and funds were distributed as per the guidelines; Ms Sitharaman made the same point yesterday, adding she could not alter them “as per my whims”.

Distribution of funds for schemes sponsored by the centre are also based on fixed percentages – 60-40 in case of “mainstream” states and 90-10 for north-eastern or hill states – Mr Somanathan said.

“We release funds as per percentages… so as long as the previous instalment was spent, the money will be released. So I can clearly say the Finance Ministry does not discriminate. Some states may have grievances over percentages set by the Finance Commission but that I can’t comment on.”

“But we have not deviated from Finance Commission recommendations,” Mr Somanathan said.

On a question about the face-off between Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress and the centre – Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee last week held a protest event demanding the state’s “dues” – the Finance Secretary told NDTV the Prime Minister’s Office had stressed that Bengal get its share.

READ | On 48-hour Dharna Over Bengal’s Dues, Mamata Banerjee’s Big 2024 Hint

“… but the state has to meet prescribed guidelines, and there are audit issues to be addressed.”

Mr Somanathan also spoke on various other topics, including the government’s handling of the fiscal deficit, which has been revised to 5.8 per cent for the financial year 2024.

He also spoke about the government continuing to offer food subsidies, which, he stressed, remains a fiscally sustainable proposition, even if it will end up costing the exchequer more than Rs 2 lakh crore.

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Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar’s remark on a Congress leader during an uproar by opposition members over the skipping of a question prompted a strong retort from Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan, who said that the members would have understood if the issue was explained to them and that they are “not schoolchildren”. She also said that the MPs should be treated with respect. 

When a question on aviation was skipped during the Question Hour on Tuesday, Ms Bachchan, Deepinder Singh Hooda of the Congress and other members of the opposition stood up and asked Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh why that had happened. 

Amid the uproar, Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar asked the opposition members to take their seats and said he would return to the question. When Mr Hooda continued to protest, Mr Dhankhar said, “You are not her (Ms Bachchan’s) spokesperson. She herself is a very senior member. No, you don’t have to support her, she is a very senior member.”

Seeking to defuse the situation a little later, Mr Dhankhar said he had indicated that question number 18, which had been skipped, would be taken up after the reply to question number 19 was complete.

“It will be taken up in a composed manner (and) try to find a way out. Jaya Bachchan ji is a very senior member and if she has a sentiment, then it is bound to be serious with me,” she said.

When Ms Bachchan got up to speak, the chairman interrupted her and said, “I would request Jaya Bachchan ji… Jaya ji you are a very senior member. Even otherwise in the country, whatever you say is well-regarded.  You will cheer us, all of us, and I am sure a great actor like you must have taken many retakes also (sic).”

Ms Bachchan interjected, saying she should be allowed to speak and emphasised that she has huge respect for the deputy chairman.

“If you or the deputy chairman ask us to sit, we will, but we won’t do so when another member gestures at us and tells us to sit. It is our right to question. You tell us you can’t take up a question or that there is a problem and it will be taken up later, we understand, we are not schoolchildren. But treat us respectfully,” she said. 

Striking a conciliatory note, Mr Dhankhar said, “Point made. I think no one will disagree with the sentiment. The House is under the control of rules and the person presiding, and I am sure everyone will follow… everything has to be through the Chair.