In no-holds-barred attack, Rahul alleges PM can 'do anything' for votes

Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a fierce attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of “doing anything for votes” and claiming that the BJP was running Bihar’s Nitish Kumar-led government “through remote control”.

The Congress leader’s sharp criticism came as he kicked off the party’s campaign for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, addressing two back-to-back rallies in Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga alongside Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, who is the Opposition INDIA bloc’s projected chief ministerial face.

In an address laced with sarcasm and political jibes, Gandhi mocked the prime minister’s public outreach. “You must have seen the drama on TV that Modi was going to take a dip in the Yamuna for Chhath Puja. It was shelved when it was exposed that a puddle had been formed with clean, piped water since the river is so dirty,” he said to loud applause.

“Narendra Modi is ready to enact all types of drama. You try telling him at a poll rally that, Mr Prime Minister, we will vote for you if you dance. He will readily perform,” Gandhi quipped, drawing laughter from the crowd.

The Congress leader said under Tejashwi Yadav’s leadership, the INDIA bloc would form a new government in Bihar that would “take care of the interests of all sections of society, cutting across caste and religious lines”.

“I will ask the people of the state, especially the extremely backward classes, to give up the illusion that the government is run by chief minister Nitish Kumar. It is a government run through remote control, by the BJP, which does not care for Bihar,” Gandhi asserted.

Nitish Kumar, who returned to the BJP-led NDA earlier this year after breaking away from the Opposition alliance, has been repeatedly accused by the Congress and RJD of allowing the BJP to dictate terms in the state.

Turning to economic issues, Gandhi said Bihar’s industries had been neglected by the Centre and the BJP’s economic policies had “crippled” small businesses. “The clothes that you wear mostly carry the label 'made in China'. I want to see the day when these shall be replaced by 'made in Bihar'. But this cannot happen under a dispensation which works for big business houses. It requires a boost to small and medium-scale industries, which the BJP destroyed through measures like demonetisation and flawed GST,” he alleged.

He also reiterated that it was the Congress’s pressure that forced the Modi government to agree to a caste census. “Two Indias are emerging. One belongs to the common people, and the other to five or 10 billionaires. This is the reason that places like Bihar suffer in poverty, with its vast potential remaining untapped,” he said.

Gandhi went on to criticise the Prime Minister’s recent comments that cheap internet had brought social media within reach of the poor. “Why does Modi not also reveal that he has allowed the monopoly of one business house in the telecom sector? Moreover, he wants people to get addicted to reels and Instagram because he cannot give them jobs,” he claimed.

The Congress leader also targeted Modi over foreign policy, invoking former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s defiance during the 1971 Bangladesh war. “Modi is scared of (US President) Trump, a far cry from Indira Gandhi, who stuck to her stand on Bangladesh in the face of international pressure,” Gandhi said.

He also “challenged” the prime minister to refute Trump’s frequently repeated claim that Operation Sindoor (the codename for India's attack in May on terror installations on Pakistan soil) was halted due to American pressure.

Referring to recent electoral controversies, Gandhi alleged that “they stole the polls in Maharashtra and Haryana. They will try to do the same in Bihar”. He added, “Theft of votes is an assault on the Constitution of Babasaheb Ambedkar. We are committed to protecting the Constitution.”

As part of his outreach, Gandhi recalled Bihar’s historical and cultural legacy, invoking the ancient Nalanda University as a symbol of the state’s intellectual past. “Your potential is still evident. People from the state are doing well in Dubai, Mauritius, Seychelles and America,” he said. “Your potential needs to be tapped. The modern Nalanda University was a brainchild of the previous Congress-led government at the Centre. I foresee a future when Americans would come to Bihar for higher learning.”

In his closing remarks, Gandhi appealed to voters not to be distracted by spectacle. “You are also able to understand political intricacies in a matter of seconds. I would urge you not to be swayed by the drama of Narendra Modi,” he said.

Wednesday’s rallies mark the formal start of Gandhi’s campaign in Bihar, following his Voter Adhikar Yatra earlier this year that focused on electoral transparency and social justice. The Assembly polls, to be held on 6 and 11 November, will be a key test for the Opposition INDIA bloc as it seeks to regain lost ground in the politically crucial state.

With PTI inputs