BJP hits out at Rahul Gandhi over 'Chhath Puja insult' in Bihar

BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal lambasted Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on PM Modi and Chhath Puja during a Bihar election rally. Jaiswal accused Gandhi of insulting 'Chhathi Maiya' and not understanding Bihar's culture, predicting a heavy defeat for Congress.

BJP MP Slams Rahul Gandhi Over 'Chhath Puja Insult'

BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal on Saturday hit out at Congress leader and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi over his remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chhath puja during the Bihar election campaign. Speaking to ANI, Jaiswal alleged that Rahul Gandhi neither understands Bihar's culture nor knows about the people of Bihar. He stated that his remarks, made during an election rally in Bihar, have hurt the sentiments of devotees observing the festival of Chhath Puja. "I always say about Rahul Gandhi that he is the star campaigner for NDA. Whenever he opens his mouth, he opens it in favour of NDA. The way he disrespected Chhath Puja, people of Bihar are also thinking, what kind of person is this who is campaigning for elections in Bihar and also insulting Chhathi Maiya. People like Rahul Gandhi, after coming to Bihar, neither understand Bihar's culture nor know about the people of Bihar. This time, Congress will have to face a heavy defeat," Jaiswal said.

What Rahul Gandhi Said About PM Modi and Chhath Puja

Earlier, addressing an election rally at Muzaffarpur on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi had said, "He (PM Modi) just wants your vote. If you ask him to do a drama for votes, he will. You can make him do anything. If you tell Narendra Modi to dance, he will dance."

Gandhi said that the Prime Minister has "nothing to do with Chhath Puja," claiming he took a dip in his "swimming pool" rather than the River Yamuna in Delhi. He said, "There's no Yamuna there; there's a pond there. Narendra Modi went to bathe in his swimming pool. He has nothing to do with the Yamuna. He has nothing to do with Chhath Puja."

Gandhi had made these remarks after the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi alleged that the BJP government created "fake Yamuna" for PM Modi to take a dip during Chhath Puja. "Rekha Gupta's government created a fake Yamuna at Vasudev Ghat for making Reels and Videos. Filtered water from the Ganga was poured into it, and it was claimed that the Yamuna had been cleaned," AAP wrote on X on Tuesday.

Bihar Assembly Election 2025 Context

Gandhi addressed a joint rally with the Mahagathbandhan's Chief Ministerial face and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, opening his campaign for the Bihar Assembly elections. The 2025 Bihar election is the main contest between the National Democratic Alliance and the Mahagathbandhan.

NDA includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha. Mahagathbandhan, led by Rashtriya Janata Dal, includes Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP). Additionally, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj has staked claims to all 243 seats in the state.

The assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11. The results will be declared on November 14.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)