Congress members on Saturday filed police complaints against BJP leaders for allegedly threatening party leader Rahul Gandhi.

A group of partymen, led by M. Saravanan, Congress State general secretary, lodged the complaint with Tiruchi City Police Commissioner N. Kamini. Urban District Congress president L. Rex and others submitted a petition to District Superintendent of Police V. Varunkumar. Complaints were also filed at 12 other police stations in the district. The complaints pertained to the remarks of some members of the BJP and its allies against Mr. Gandhi in connection with his criticism of the Union government during his recent visit to the U.S.

Sanjay Gaikwad, MLA of the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), had threatened to offer a sum of ₹11 lakh as a reward to anyone who chopped off Mr. Gandhi’s tongue. BJP MP Anil Bonde had said that burning Mr. Gandhi’s tongue would be a better punishment.

Other leaders, including Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu and senior BJP leader Dharmendra Singh Senthwar, were also named in the complaints for “spreading hate”. H. Raja, head of the BJP State Coordination Committee in Tamil Nadu, was included in a plaint for calling Rahul Gandhi an “anti-Indian”. The Congress leaders demanded that swift legal action be taken against the individuals mentioned in the complaints.

Meanwhile, Congress leaders filed complaints at 15 police stations in Nagapattinam district. District Congress president Amirtha Raja filed the complaint at the Velippalayam police station.