New Delhi, February 12, 2026 — The Kerala unit of the Congress party on Wednesday sparked a fresh political controversy by alleging that cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar faced "pressure" from powerful quarters to delete and repost a viral photograph with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, after it garnered significantly higher engagement than his pictures with other national leaders.
The claim came via an official post on X (formerly Twitter) from the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) handle, which highlighted Tendulkar's recent meetings in Delhi where he personally invited dignitaries—including President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Rahul Gandhi—to his son Arjun Tendulkar's upcoming wedding.
According to the Congress Kerala post, Tendulkar shared photos from these interactions on his social media: one with PM Modi at 7:13 PM, Amit Shah at 8:18 PM, President Murmu at 8:48 PM, and Rahul Gandhi at 9:22 PM. "Among all these, the post with Rahul Gandhi went viral, clocking 627K views in just over two hours," the post stated.
It further claimed that this unexpected surge in popularity "did not go down well with the King," an apparent veiled reference to Prime Minister Modi. "The King’s men allegedly pressured Sachin to delete the post and quietly repost it at 12:19 AM, when most people are asleep, hoping it would not attract the same traction," the Kerala Congress unit alleged, framing it as an attempt to suppress the photo's reach.
The post suggested that Tendulkar, despite the alleged coercion, ultimately reposted the image, and even then, it continued to receive more reactions than his pictures with other figures. Social media users and several news outlets picked up the claim, with discussions erupting over whether the deletion and repost truly indicated external influence or was merely a routine edit.
Tendulkar, a Rajya Sabha-nominated member known for maintaining a largely apolitical public stance, has not commented on the allegations. No official response has come from his team, the BJP, or the Prime Minister's Office regarding the Kerala Congress's accusations.
The episode has triggered mixed reactions online, with some users mocking the Congress claim as baseless "conspiracy theorizing," while others speculated on the implications for Tendulkar's perceived neutrality. The controversy unfolded amid ongoing political tensions between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress, particularly in the context of Rahul Gandhi's rising profile as Leader of Opposition.
As of now, the reposted photo with Rahul Gandhi remains live on Tendulkar's X account, continuing to draw attention amid the fresh round of political mudslinging.
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