Lagatar24 Desk
Patna: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Bihar election campaign on Wednesday, claiming the PM would “do anything for votes” — a comment that has triggered sharp backlash from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP condemned the remarks as “language of a local goon,” accusing Gandhi of insulting voters and Indian democracy.
Rahul Gandhi’s Jibe at PM Modi
Addressing a rally in Muzaffarpur, Gandhi accused the ruling BJP of “stealing elections” with the help of the Election Commission, alleging manipulation in past state polls. “He just wants your vote. If you tell Narendra Modi to dance, he will dance… They are engaged in stealing your votes. They stole elections in Maharashtra and Haryana, and they will try in Bihar too,” Gandhi said, as the crowd cheered.
He also mocked Modi over reports of a special pond built with filtered water near Delhi’s Yamuna River for the PM to perform Chhath Puja, saying, “There is no Yamuna there… it’s a pond, a swimming pool. He has nothing to do with Yamuna or Chhath Puja.”
BJP’s Retort: “Insult to Indian Voters”
The BJP responded swiftly, accusing Gandhi of disrespecting citizens who voted for Modi. “These are not the words of a national leader but of a street-level goon,” party spokespersons said, adding that Gandhi had “mocked Indian democracy.”
At a rally in Darbhanga, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also took aim at Gandhi, referring to his ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ — a recent march across Bihar protesting alleged Election Commission bias — and accused the Congress of “standing with intruders and anti-nationals.”
Tejashwi Yadav Focuses on Poll Promises
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, recently announced as the INDIA bloc’s chief ministerial candidate, shared the stage with Gandhi but kept his speech focused on welfare promises. He pledged cooking gas at ₹500, 200 free electricity units per household, and accused CM Nitish Kumar of running a government “via BJP’s remote control.”
Election and Political Context
The Bihar election, scheduled in two phases starting November 6, has already seen heated exchanges between the INDIA bloc and the ruling BJP-JDU alliance. The latest controversy adds to tensions after both sides clashed over the legacy of socialist icon Karpoori Thakur, with Congress declaring Gandhi as “Jan Nayak,” a title the BJP dismissed as “self-assumed.”
