An old video in which All India Students' Association (AISA) president Neha Bora alleged that priests commit rape inside temples has triggered a political row, drawing criticism from the BJP as well as leaders of Opposition allies Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Samajwadi Party. A Supreme Court advocate has also claimed to have filed a police complaint against her, alleging that the remarks could disturb communal harmony.

The video resurfaced on Tuesday, November 3, and was circulated by BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari. In the clip, Bora speaks about the "Brahmanical system", arguing that women and marginalised communities remain vulnerable to exploitation.

She alleges that even Brahmin women are unsafe and that priests commit rape inside temples, citing the Unnao and Kathua cases. The 2018 Kathua case involved the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl who was held captive in a village temple. Six people were convicted in the case in June 2019.

BJP leaders accused Bora of insulting priests and making sweeping allegations against Hindu religious institutions. Gaurav Bhatia also linked her remarks to her earlier comments calling for regime change in India, alleging that she had drawn inspiration from the student-led movement that led to Sheikh Hasina's ouster in Bangladesh in August 2024.

Bhandari described Bora as a prominent face in Rahul Gandhi's political circle and accused her of reflecting an anti-Hindu mindset. BJP's Mahila Morcha leader Vaishali Poddar Singh also questioned the Congress and its INDIA bloc partners for giving Bora a prominent platform.

OPPOSITION ALLIES ALSO CRITICISE REMARKS

The comments drew criticism from within the Opposition alliance. Former Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi called Bora's remarks unfortunate and objected to generalising allegations against priests and temples. Identifying herself as a Brahmin woman, she questioned the language used and said radical thinking from either the Left or the Right was harmful.

Chaturvedi added that she would like to speak to Bora personally and urge her not to view every issue through the lens of caste or religion.

Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai also said making sweeping statements about any caste, community or religion was inappropriate. He cautioned that such remarks could help the BJP's political narrative.

POLICE COMPLAINT CLAIMED

Delhi-based advocate-on-record Amita Sachdeva said on X that she had filed a complaint against Bora with the Sansad Marg police station in New Delhi.

Sachdeva alleged that the remarks could promote enmity between communities and disturb public tranquillity. She added that freedom of speech did not justify irresponsible or inflammatory statements.

WHO IS NEHA BORA?

Bora, 29, is a JNU PhD scholar and national president of AISA, the student wing of CPI(ML) Liberation. She came into prominence during student protests, including the Cockroach Janta Party-led agitation at Jantar Mantar, where she also took part in a 23-day hunger strike.

She later emerged as a prominent face of protests demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls. Bora was seen alongside Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during the Opposition's October 12 march to the Supreme Court and featured at INDIA bloc press conferences.

Her growing proximity to Rahul Gandhi had already drawn BJP criticism. The resurfaced video has now given the party fresh ammunition to target both Bora and the Congress-led Opposition.