Congress MP Manickam Tagore reacted to Union Minister Kiren Rijiju's claim that Rahul Gandhi's scuba diving trip to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands was "propaganda" costing ₹26 crore, saying Rijiju has become the "Minister for Defamation". Tagore added the remark was meant to divert attention from Great Nicobar Development Project, which Rahul had described as causing large-scale ecological damage.