VIDEO: 'Political Grips and Chokes are Invisible to the Common Man': Rahul Gandhi on Using Jiu-Jitsu Analogy

Udaipur, Feb 20, 2026 – Earlier this month, Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, had made an analogy to the technique used in the martial art of Jiu-Jitsu during his speech in Parliament on the Union Budget 2026-27. One being interrupted by the Chair questioning the relevance of the analogy, Gandhi requested that he be given creative freedom to explain his views.

Gandhi then went on to focus on the grip-and-choke functions of Jiu-Jitsu, saying: "First comes the grip, then the second grip, and then it leads to choke". This grip-and-choke, he explained, is what is also used in politics.

To further describe this analogy, Gandhi released a video on February 20 on his social media handle where he elaborates on the martial art’s function and how it applies to the current political scenario.

In the viral video, the Congress leader says that the reason he used this aspect of Jiu-Jitsu was to first demonstrate how one controls an opponent in the sport and then back his arguments by showing how this phenomenon also exists in the political realm. He explains that in politics, however, political grips and political chokes are mostly hidden and not easily visible to the average person. A layman has to be a keen observer to understand where the choke is being applied and where the grips are placed.

Gandhi goes on to say that the concept of choke-and-grip mirrors how the Prime Minister of India functions. He says that on the one side the PM has Gautam Adani, who has been charged in the US over an alleged $250 million US bribe conspiracy, and also the Jeffrey Epstein files in which the PM, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and businessman Anil Ambani been named… "the Indian Prime Minister Modi danced and sang in Israel for the benefit of the US President".

And on the other side, says Gandhi, is China and the General Naravane book excerpt which he had highlighted in the Parliament.

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The Congress leader elaborates that this is how the Prime Minister is trapped (choked) by these two elements - US on one side and China on the other side.

He says that the real grip on the PM is the larger-than-life image which he has built for himself and played into the hands of the US. And the trade arrangement between India and US is because of this grip, he claims.

Gandhi alleges that the trade agreement will cause the Indian farmers and textile industry to suffer and that India will be forced to buy large imports, amounting to USD 100 billion every year, which is thrice the current import from US.

Speaking of the threat to India's data, Gandhi goes on to say that the real loss will be the country’s data which is being handed over to the US companies, making India a data colony. 

He concluded by retierating that the reason why a country the size of India agreed to hand over its data to US companies and forego the benefits to Indian agriculture and Indian textile industry is because of the grips and chokes applied on the Prime Minister of India.

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Summary

During the Union Budget 2026 debate, Rahul Gandhi used a Jiu-Jitsu “grip-and-choke” analogy to allege hidden geopolitical pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a follow-up video, the Congress leader claimed India faces strategic constraints from the United States on trade and data policy, and from China on security concerns. He warned that a potential US trade arrangement could impact farmers and the textile sector while raising questions about data sovereignty. The remarks have intensified political debate over India’s economic autonomy and global positioning.