‘Grip, choke, tap’: Rahul Gandhi uses MMA analogy to rip into Union Budget in Lok Sabha

Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha

• Rahul Gandhi used MMA analogy to critique Union Budget in Lok Sabha debate
• He claimed Adani's influence was shaping defence and economic policy.
• Speaker banned Adani and Epstein mentions, causing brief House disruptions

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Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday, opened his critique of the Union Budget with a mixed martial arts (MMA) analogy, arguing that power in politics operates through invisible pressure rather than open force.

As he opened his speech, Gandhi recalled a past conversation with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who had once asked him how he stayed fit. "I told him I do jujutsu, I do martial arts," Gandhi said.

Noting the growing popularity of mixed martial arts in India, he explained that the foundation of combat sports lies in establishing control. "The foundation of martial arts is the grip. You try to trap your opponent in a grip," he said.

Steadily building his argument and turning to his critique of the Union Budget 2026, Gandhi added, "In martial arts, the sequence is grip, choke and tap. This grip also exists in politics. But in politics, the grip, choke and tap remain hidden," as he opened his speech during the Budget debate in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday afternoon.

LIVE: LoP Shri @RahulGandhi speaks on the Union Budget | Parliament, New Delhi. https://t.co/YSnbLZ6LuC

— Congress (@INCIndia) February 11, 2026

Gradually unfolding his analogy, the Congress leader alleged that India’s defence and economic policies were being shaped by concentrated corporate influence. He claimed that "at the centre of our defence budget is a choke applied by Gautam Adani".

The Leader of Opposition's remarks quickly triggered repeated objections from the treasury benches.

Lok Sabha Speaker Jagdambika Pal had to intervene and disallow Gandhi from referring to both industrialist Gautam Adani and the Epstein case, asking him to confine his remarks to the Budget discussion.

The Speaker’s intervention led to brief disruptions in the House.

Gandhi also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that "fear is visible in the Prime Minister’s eyes" when pressure is applied, continuing his combat-sport metaphor to describe political power dynamics.

Moving beyond domestic politics, Gandhi placed the Budget in a global geopolitical context, arguing that energy and finance are increasingly being used as strategic weapons. Citing the Economic Survey, he said the world is moving from an era of stability to one of deepening instability, marked by intensifying geopolitical conflicts.

He pointed to ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, tensions in the Middle East and Iran, and referred to India’s own military operations under Operation Sindoor to argue that claims about the “era of war” being over were misplaced. Gandhi said earlier assertions by the Prime Minister and the National Security Adviser on this issue were "shockingly incorrect".

"The dominance of the United States is being challenged… we are moving into the era of war," he said, citing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, tensions in the Middle East and Iran, and India’s own Operation Sindoor. "The global order is shifting away from a single-superpower system, with the US dollar and American supremacy increasingly under challenge," also noted the Congress MP.

Speaking further, he launched a sharp attack on the Centre during the debate, accusing the government of "selling Bharat Mata" through what he described as a one-sided India-US interim trade agreement. Claiming that the deal had hurt farmers’ interests, Gandhi alleged that cheaper US agricultural products would flood Indian markets and said key domestic sectors, including textiles, had been "finished" by the government’s policies.