Rahul Gandhi and his Indian media own-goals Published duration 7 September 2016

image copyright PTI image caption People fought with each other to "steal" the cots

When the vice president of India's Congress party, Rahul Gandhi, started his election campaign in northern Uttar Pradesh state, it made headlines, but for all the wrong reasons.

Mr Gandhi's speech, which focused on the plight of farmers, drew applause from the gathered crowd.

But it was the fact that his audience then made off with hundreds of traditional village khaats (cots) that had been brought in for the crowds to sit on, that drew national media attention.

Most outlets chose to focus on the dramatic scenes that showed Mr Gandhi's audiences running away with the seating, with one newspaper calling the ensuing chaos A Game of Khaats, punning on the popular television series Game of Thrones and House of Cards.

More than 2,000 cots were "stolen" from the venue in Deoria district, reports said.

image copyright The Hindu

But Mr Gandhi is no stranger to unfortunate media attention. Here are a few other instances where the heir to India's Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty has found himself on the wrong side of the headlines.

Politics 'in your pants'

image copyright Getty Images

Mr Gandhi said in 2013 that politics "was everywhere, in your shirt, in your pants", during a speech urging the country's youth to join politics to make India better.

Mr Gandhi's intention was to tell young people that there was no way of escaping politics because it touches every aspect of life in India.

But social and mainstream media immediately pounced on the statement as being "dumb" and "stupid" and many still quote it out of context to prove his unsuitability as a serious politician.

'Beehive' India

image copyright Getty Images

Mr Gandhi received more criticism in 2013 when he compared India to a "beehive".

"The beehive is a good analogy, you are masters of complexity, this buzzing sound you don't like, these newspaper stories which drive me nuts, this is your training, developing you to deal with complexity. This is what's going to give you the competitive advantage like nobody has ever had before," he said.

Again however, his use of the phrase was construed as being bizarre and the rest of his speech was forgotten in the rush to create "India is a beehive" memes.

Chants of 'Modi'

image copyright Getty Images image caption Mr Gandhi is known for his love for sports

When Indian boxer Vijender Singh took on Australia's Kerry Hope in a high-octane bout for the global Super Middleweight title in Delhi in July, Mr Gandhi was among the many VIP attendees.

Given the high profile nature of the event, it made perfect sense for Mr Gandhi to use the occasion to try to connect with Indians.

But again, things did not go as planned.