Former Congress leader Dr Shakeel Ahmad has claimed that his life is under threat, alleging that Congress leaders have been instructed to target his homes in Bihar following his recent criticism of Rahul Gandhi.
Ahmad said he was “secretly informed” by Youth Congress leaders that attacks were being planned at his residences in Patna and Madhubani, allegedly in the name of protests and effigy burning.
He insisted he was not speculating, but relaying what had been communicated to him by party insiders.
“I have not expressed an apprehension, but the leaders of the youth Congress have informed me this. I thank them for this,” Ahmad said.
“They are doing this on the instructions of the top leadership. The top leadership in the Congress today is Mr Rahul Gandhi; there is no other top leadership,” he added.
#WATCH | Bihar | Security heightened outside the residence of former Congress leader Dr Shakeel Ahmad in Patna after he claimed in an ‘X’ post that Congress leadership has ordered the Bihar Congress/Youth Congress to attack his residences in Patna and Madhubani. https://t.co/qGISzknwYL pic.twitter.com/rXQVQkCtzu
— ANI (@ANI) January 27, 2026
Ahmad said he had written publicly that Congress colleagues had “secretly informed” him about the planned attacks. He questioned why the party leadership remained silent on daily criticism by Union Home Minister Amit Shah but reacted strongly to his remarks.
“I am not even in the Congress… I am a well-wisher, I am not an enemy,” he said.
What triggered the controversy and what Ahmad alleges
The controversy follows Ahmad’s remarks last week in which he described Rahul Gandhi as “darpok (coward)” and “insecure”. The comments triggered strong reactions within party circles.
Ahmad, a three-time MLA and two-term MP from Bihar, quit the Congress after the last Bihar Assembly elections.
He said that despite leaving the party, he continued to support it ideologically.
“My last vote, the last vote I cast before I die, will go to the Congress and its supporting parties,” he said, adding that even if he had “only five supporters left”, they would vote for the Congress.
“They are treating me like an enemy,” he said.
In posts on X, Ahmad shared screenshots of WhatsApp messages that called for effigy burning against him. He claimed these messages confirmed what he had earlier been warned about.
Following his statements, security was tightened outside his residence in Phulwari Sharif in Patna.
Political reactions and wider implications
The issue has also drawn reactions from political rivals.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the episode reflected internal dissent within the Congress.
He claimed the situation showed that Rahul Gandhi was uncomfortable with strong or independent leaders within the party, and alleged that many leaders had left the Congress due to insecurity at the top.
“Rahul Gandhi has already been rejected by public opinion, but how Congress leaders and workers themselves do not accept him as a leader is evident. Shakeel Ahmad explained how Rahul Gandhi is timid, insecure, and immature. He wants a strong Congress, but not strong leaders within the party,” Poonawalla alleged.
The Congress has not issued an official response to Ahmad’s allegations so far.