Congress MP Deepender Hooda responds with humour after social media post mistakes him for Prakash Padukone

Congress MP Deepender Hooda responded with a witty comment after a post on X went viral for confusing him with former badminton player Prakash Padukone during an Opposition protest in Delhi. The viral post featured a video showing Hooda and fellow Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi marching while demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The user jokingly claimed that Padukone was on the streets while his son-in-law Ranveer Singh stayed a silent spectator. Although the author clarified in the comments that the post was ironic, it drew widespread attention.

Hooda's Reaction

Responding on Friday, Hooda joked that neither Deepika Padukone nor Ranveer Singh had called him, and Prakash Padukone had not asked for his face back. He added that he chose to take the mix-up as a compliment and was glad to be promoted as an All England Badminton Champion.

Crackdown and Protests

The protests came after a report alleged discrepancies in the electoral roll revision process, including orders issued without the knowledge of Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. The INDIA bloc organised joint protests for three days in the capital. Meanwhile, the Cockroach Janta Party also called for a protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10, but founder Abhijeet Dipke and co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained upon arrival. Authorities deployed around 23,000 police personnel, shut down 45 metro stations, curtailed train arrivals at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations, used internet jammers, and imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS in Central Delhi.

Context

Social media platforms frequently serve as spaces where political events intersect with pop culture humour, often drawing unexpected public figures into viral discussions. At the same time, large-scale political protests in the capital frequently involve heavy security measures, including transit restrictions and prohibitory orders, to manage public gatherings and maintain law and order.