Divided by politics, united by canine love | Gandhis including Maneka slam Supreme Court over stray dogs directive

New Delhi: While having different political ideologies on one side, members of the Gandhi family found themselves on the same page on the stray dog verdict by the Supreme Court which has several animal lovers up in arms. In an unlikely agreement, the matter saw members of the two Gandhi families take the same stand. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took to social media to express their disappointment, while Maneka and Varun Gandhi, too spoke on the issue to the media.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to condemn the SC judgement, calling it “a step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy”. “These voiceless souls are not ‘problems’ to be erased. Shelters, sterilisation, vaccination & community care can keep streets safe - without cruelty. Blanket removals are cruel, shortsighted, and strip us of compassion,” he posted, adding that public safety and animal welfare can go hand in hand.

Gandhi, a dog-owner himself, had travelled to Goa in 2024 to bring back two puppies and had gifted one to his mother, Sonia Gandhi. His dog Pidi was momentarily in the eye of a political storm when Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, then a Congress leader, walked out of the party and accused Gandhi of offering biscuits to him and Pidi from the same plate.

Priyanka said that the move will result in “horrendously inhumane treatment” to stray dogs. “Enough shelters do not even exist to take them on … animals in urban surroundings are subjected to ill treatment and brutality. Surely there is a better way to manage the situation and a humane way can be found in which these innocent animals are looked after and kept safe as well,” her post read.

Among the Gandhis, the most vocal animal lover is BJP MP and former minister Maneka Gandhi, who said that to send dogs to shelters, we will need to make some first.

“There is not a single government-run shelter in Delhi. There are 3 lakh stray dogs, where will you put them? To build shelters for them you will need Rs 15,000 crores and 3,000 places. These places will need to not have people around, where will you find such places,” Maneka told news agency ANI. Calling its a “strange” judgement, she said that it is given by someone who is in anger.

Sharing his mother’s views on X, Varun Gandhi said that the judgement is an “institutionalisation of cruelty”. “(It is) a harbinger of a legal structure that seeks to punish those who cannot fend for themselves. How long before this extends to stray cows, the underprivileged and unauthorised settlements… Nations face deeper moral crises when they step away from empathy,” Gandhi said.