BJP MP seen with 'National Herald Ki Loot' bag at Parliament

There is a new type of politics going on among the lawmakers, and it is 'bag politics'. Yes, you read that right, remember Priyanka Gandhi Wadra carrying a bag in support of Palestine? Now, in a bold political gesture that stirred conversation inside and outside Parliament, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj arrived at the Parliament Annexe on Monday carrying a tote bag that read “National Herald Ki Loot”. The statement accessory was a sharp swipe at the Congress party and its leadership, particularly the Gandhi family, amid ongoing investigations into the National Herald case.

The display came during a Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting on the contentious issue of ‘One Nation, One Election’. Speaking to reporters, Swaraj didn't mince words, saying, “This is the first time that corruption has taken place in the fourth pillar of democracy—media. The charge sheet filed by the ED highlights the old working style and ideology of the Congress party.”

Her comments referred to the Enforcement Directorate's recent charge sheet against senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The case revolves around allegations that the Congress leadership orchestrated a dubious takeover of Associated Journals Ltd. (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald, via a shell company called Young Indian Ltd. The ED claims that the Gandhis acquired real estate assets worth over ₹2,000 crore for just ₹50 lakh through the deal.

Bansuri Swaraj’s handbag protest is being viewed as a direct retort to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who has recently made headlines with her symbolic tote bags. In December, Priyanka carried a bag emblazoned with “Palestine”, drawing both support and criticism. Responding to the BJP’s accusations of communal signaling, she stood her ground and said that political policing of women’s wardrobe choices was deeply patriarchal.

The tote bag war continued when Priyanka returned the next day with a new bag that read, “Stand with Bangladeshi Hindus and Christians”, countering the BJP’s claims that she had ignored minority issues in the region. Earlier this year, BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi had gifted Priyanka a bag labeled “1984”, referencing the anti-Sikh riots that remain a blot on Congress’s history.