A heated on-air confrontation between BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia and Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate on Aaj Tak’s debate show Halla Bol has gone viral on social media.
The episode, focused on the latest developments in the National Herald case, quickly turned ugly as the two leaders engaged in heated personal attacks, exchanging objectionable and derogatory remarks.
In the widely shared clip, Bhatia is heard mocking Shrinate over the Congress party’s performance in the Haryana elections. He says in Hindi, “Aapko toh Haryana mein jalebi bai bulate hain… Haryana mein toh aapne jalebi hi toh banai thi.” (In Haryana, they call you 'Jalebi Bai')
Shrinate responds sharply, saying, “Tum toh totle ho, tum toh bina pant ke baithte ho, tum kya bewakoofi ki baatein karte ho.” (You stutter, you sit without pants, what nonsense are you talking?) Bhatia then fires back by calling Shrinate a “dalaal.”
Shrinate subsequently retorts, “Tum pure kapde pehen ke baitha karo.” (You should sit wearing full clothes.) A visibly frustrated anchor Anjana Om Kashyap is then seen muting the microphone as the exchange escalates.
National Herald Case
The confrontation took place amid a fresh twist in the long-running National Herald case. On December 16, a Delhi Rouse Avenue Court declined to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) money laundering chargesheet against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others.
Court Observations And Next Steps
The court observed that the ED’s probe was based on a private complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in 2012, rather than on a registered FIR for a predicate (scheduled) offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The judge noted that proceeding on the merits at this stage would be “premature and imprudent,” particularly since the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) had registered a fresh FIR in late November 2025 based on ED inputs. While Congress has viewed the development as a setback to the probe the ED may continue its investigation and file a fresh complaint later.
