Rahul, Priyanka, Maneka, and Varun—the four members of the Gandhi family—have rarely spoken in one voice on any issue, political or otherwise.
But, for a change, the four showed unity on the recent Supreme Court order on stray dogs in Delhi-NCR, and how.
On 11 August, the Supreme Court directed municipal authorities to pick up and house all stray dogs in Delhi and parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) in dedicated shelters within eight weeks.
The directions were given in a case the top court took up suo motu on 28 July after what it said was a “very disturbing and alarming” newspaper report about the death of a six-year-old girl due to rabies.
The order was criticised by people from the cross-section – animal rights activists, Bollywood celebrities and politicians.
‘Step back from decades of…’
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi termed the directive as a “step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy”.
“The SC’s directive to remove all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR is a step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy. These voiceless souls are not “problems” to be erased,” the leader of opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha said in a post on X.
The need of the hour, the Rae Bareli MP said, was to have ‘shelters, sterilisation, vaccination and community care’ to keep the streets safe without cruelty.
Rahul’s sister and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra echoed Rahul’s thoughts. Priyanka expressed concern about the possibility of inhumane treatment that stray dogs could face when they are moved to shelters.
“Surely there is a better way to manage the situation and a humane way can be found in which these innocent animals are looked after and kept safe as well,” she said in a post.
“Dogs are the most beautiful, gentle creatures, they do not deserve this kind of cruelty.”
Varun Gandhi, Rahul and Priyanka’s cousin, joined in and said ‘nations face deeper moral crises when they step away from empathy’.
“The Suo Moto order on stray dogs by the Supreme Court is an institutionalisation of cruelty and a harbinger of a legal structure that seeks to punish those who cannot fend for themselves,” Gandhi, the former Lok Sabha Member of Parliament, said in a post on X.
Varun’s mother, Maneka Gandhi, a prominent animal rights activist, environmentalist, and politician, said it was not a “doable order”.
“This is a very strange judgment given by someone who is in anger. As you know, angry judgments are never sensible,” she was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The SC’s directive to remove all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR is a step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy.
The cousins hold opposite political views. Maneka, a former Union Minister, is Sanjay Gandhi’s wife. Late Sanjay Gandhi was the brother of former Prime Minister Late Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul’s father. Maneka left Indira Gandhi’s home in 1982 following differences with her and subsequently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
While Rahul and Priyanka are Congress MPs, Maneka and Varun are former MPs. Neither did they contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
