‘Do you swim with full suit?’ Rijiju hits back at Khera for mocking swimming video

‘Do you swim with full suit & coat?’ Rijiju hits back at Khera for mocking swimming video Edited by: Rohitashwa Ranjan / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Aug 25, 2026, 17:09 IST Comments Share AA Text Size Small Medium Large NEW DELHI: Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday slammed Congress leader Pawan Khera for making "indecent comments" about him after he shared a video of himself swimming in Arunachal Pradesh.In a social media post on X, Rijiju reminded Khera that he has fought eight elections so far, while the Congress leader is a first-term MP, nominated to Rajya Sabha by his party."You are a 1st term MP, nominated by your party in Rajya Sabha & I've fought 8 elections so far. That doesn't give you the right to make indecent comments. I swim with my villagers to inspire my people & followers," Rijiju said. "Rahul ji doesn't exist in my mind when I'm with my people. But Congressis started commenting that I can't swim like Rahul Ji. So, I responded since 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 added.Rijiju also took a dig at Khera over his spat with Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, saying that he will report the Congress leader's "indiscipline conduct" to Sarma."Dear Pawan Khera, I'll report to CM Himanta Biswa Sarma ji about your indiscipline conduct if you talk about half-naked swimming. Do you swim with full suit & coat?" Rijiju said.Rijiju's reaction came after Khera said that leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has "gotten under BJP's skin", claiming that Rijiju "can’t even go for a half-naked swim without invoking Rahul Gandhi.""Imagine how badly Rahul Ji has gotten under the BJP’s skin. On one hand, Kiren Rijiju can’t even go for a half-naked swim without invoking Rahul Gandhi. On the other, senior citizen Giriraj Singhbjp has been reduced to calling himself a 74-year-old “new baby born”.""What have you done to all of them, Rahul ji?" he added.Earlier, Rijiju shared a video of himself swimming in the rivers of Arunachal Pradesh."Never go to deep water, if you do not know swimming. Many people have drowned in the river. The rivers in Arunachal Pradesh are huge and very deep," he said. Rijiju also shared another video explaining why swimming in the rivers of Arunachal Pradesh is different from swimming in a pool or calmer waters."Some people might think swimming in gushing rivers of Arunachal Pradesh is like swimming in pools or rivers like Yamuna. In raging rivers, our head should be up, not down & body should be more upright, not straight as we keep in swimming competition. Mein yahan ka khiladi hun," he said. Rohitashwa Ranjan is a digital journalist with The Times of India, where he decodes Indian politics as a carefully staged production with scripts, subtext and everything behind. His stories track elections, party dynamics and the things that often are buried beneath the headlines. When not parsing vote shares or alliances, he is usually reading between the lines, where the real story tends to reside.