The Congress and some of its allies on Wednesday rallied around leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi as he continued to be at the receiving end of intemperate remarks from BJP leaders even after party president Mallikarjun Kharge urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rein in his colleagues and take action against them.

Seeing no action forthcoming from the Modi government or the BJP, the Congress on Wednesday filed cases against the four BJP members, including ministers, who have made violent remarks against Rahul in the past week in reaction to his comments in the US on caste census and minority rights in India.

Congress treasurer Ajay Maken submitted a complaint at the Tughlaq Road police station seeking registration of an FIR against Union minister of state Ravneet Singh Bittu, Delhi BJP leader Tarvinder Singh Marwah, Uttar Pradesh minister Raghuraj Singh and Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad.

Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin posted on X: “Deeply shocked by media reports of a BJP leader’s threat that @RahulGandhi ‘will meet the same fate as his grandmother,’ and a Shinde Sena MLA’s bounty for cutting his tongue.... My brother Rahul Gandhi’s charisma and growing public support have clearly unsettled many, leading to such vile acts of intimidation. The Union government must act swiftly to ensure protection for the Leader of the Opposition...”