Bihar: Stage caves in as Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi arrive to address INDIA bloc rally in Paliganj (WATCH)
Misa Bharti was seen holding his hand during the incident. Despite security personnel urging him to step down, Gandhi reassured them and continued with his rally.
The stage constructed for the INDIA bloc rally in Bihar's Paliganj on Monday (May 27) collapsed just as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, along with RJD leaders Tejashwi Yadav and Misa Bharti, arrived. Gandhi, who was at the center of the platform, was seen briefly losing his balance as the structure buckled.
Misa Bharti was seen holding his hand during the incident. Despite security personnel urging him to step down, Gandhi reassured them and continued with his rally.
Addressing back-to-back election rallies in Bihar, the Congress leader said that Narendra Modi will not be able to become the prime minister again, citing a strong wave of support for the INDIA bloc nationwide.
He reiterated his commitment to abolishing the Agnipath scheme if the opposition bloc comes to power. Introduced by the Modi government in 2022, the scheme recruits young soldiers, known as 'Agniveers', on a four-year contractual basis, with 75% retiring without standard military benefits.
"When the INDIA bloc forms the government, the Agnipath scheme will be withdrawn," Gandhi declared at a rally in Bakhtiyarpur.
"Modi Ji has turned soldiers into laborers. The Centre has made two categories in the Army — Agniveer and the others. If an Agniveer gets injured or martyred, he will neither get a martyr status nor compensation. Why this discrimination?" Gandhi questioned.
Taking a jibe at the prime minister's 'sent by God' comment, the Congress leader remarked, "After June 4, if ED asks Modi about corruption, he will say, 'I don't know anything... I was sent by God'."
Gandhi also promised that the government formed by the INDIA bloc after the elections would reopen closed industries and fill up 30 lakh job vacancies.
Addressing the rally, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav accused Modi of failing to deliver on promises and instead focusing on divisive rhetoric.
"People of Bihar will take revenge for the lies told to them and the Hindu-Muslim talks. What have they done for the people here? They cannot talk about work. They are talking rubbish in Bihar. PM Modi should have told what he will do here but did not. The issues are inflation and unemployment. PM Modi demeaned the post of PM by talking about 'Mujra'," Yadav said.