Modi brings up ‘katta’, Rahul takes a muddy dip: How Bihar poll heat peaked on Sunday
From PM's ‘katta’ barb to Rahul Gandhi's viral dip in a muddy pond in Begusarai, Sunday's poll rallies and campaigns hit headlines for several reasons.
The poll arena heated a bit too much on Sunday as bigwigs from the BJP as well as Congress - Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah and Lok Sabha leader of opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi - turned up in Bihar together, parallelly carrying out outreach activities with just four days left for the state to vote in the first phase.
From PM Modi's ‘kanpatti pe katta’ barb at the RJD and Congress-led Mahagathbandhan alliance to Rahul Gandhi's viral dip with fishermen in a muddy pond in Begusarai, Sunday's political rallies and campaigns by the leaders hit headlines in more than one ways.
Bihar is voting in two phases for the assembly elections - November 6 and November 11 - while the counting of votes is scheduled to take place on November 14 for the contest in which the JDU-BJP-led NDA and Opposition's INDIA bloc are the main contenders, while poll strategist Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj is also being seen as a strong debutant.
PM Modi's kanpatti pe katta remark
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Nawada that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav was named the chief ministerial candidate only after his party pointed a “katta” - a country-made, unlicensed handgun - "at the head of the Congress", which had initially been reluctant to project the young leader as the INDIA bloc's face.
PM Modi on Sunday held back-to-back rallies in Bhojpur and Nawada districts followed by a mega roadshow in Patna.
PM Modi claimed that a bitter feud was brewing between the two largest constituents of the opposition alliance, which he said was poised for the "worst drubbing in history", while the NDA was headed for a record-breaking victory.
The PM's roadshow in Patna, a BJP stronghold for decades, predictably drew massive crowds. Later, Modi posted on X, thanking the people of the city for their "affection and blessings".
PM Modi's katta remark stayed relevant on Monday as well as Opposition reacted strongly, describing the language used by the prime minister as problematic.
The opposition, however, flagged the absence of chief minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar at the roadshow. Nitish Kumar had joined PM Modi in a similar procession in the city during last year's Lok Sabha polls.
Meanwhile, Amit Shah toured Muzaffarpur and Vaishali districts, where he sought to draw a contrast between the NDA and the INDIA bloc.
Amit Shah alleged that if the RJD-led coalition came to power, lawlessness would return and the government "may have three new portfolios of murder, kidnapping and extortion".
Rahul Gandhi's Begusarai dip
As PM Modi and Amit Shah mounted attacks on the INDIA bloc, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi addressed rallies in Begusarai and Khagaria districts, where he launched a sharp dig on the Prime Minister, lampooning him for "claiming to have a chest that was 56 inches wide".
The Congress leader alleged that Modi was a "coward" who got "scared" when US President Donald Trump called him up during Operation Sindoor, leading to an abrupt halt to the military conflict with Pakistan.
Rahul Gandhi also claimed that the Modi government served the interests of big business houses, providing them land at throwaway prices in Bihar. He urged people to view this against Amit Shah's recent claim that the state's industrial development was hampered by non-availability of land.
In Begusarai, shortly after his rally, the Congress MP from Uttar Pradesh's the Rae Bareli joined a group of fishermen at a nearby muddy pond, wading through chest-deep water, unperturbed by his clothes getting soiled.
Later, at the rally in Khagaria, he said: "I did what I did because I want farmers, fishermen and their ilk to feel that Rahul Gandhi is standing by their side."
"If an owner of a big business invites me to a wedding at his place, I turn it down. But if I am invited by a poor villager, I make it a point to turn up," underscored Gandhi, whose family boasts three former Prime Ministers and whom his detractors sarcastically call a "yuvraaj" [crown prince].
Tejashwi Yadav also on ground
Meanwhile, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, also continued his relentless campaign on Sunday. Sounding confident of victory, he told reporters: "On November 14, the results of polls are to be declared. On November 18, the swearing-in ceremony will take place. Thereafter, between November 26 and January 26, Tejashwi shall ensure that all criminals, irrespective of their castes and religions, are behind bars."
He was responding to questions about the arrest of Anant Singh, a controversial former MLA who briefly belonged to the RJD but is contesting the current polls from Mokama on a JD(U) ticket.
Tejashwi Yadav on Monday said Nitish Kumar's absence from NDA rallies was not surprising as the alliance does not plan to make him the chief minister.
"What's surprising about this? Everyone knows that the BJP will not make Nitish Kumar the Chief Minister," ANI news agency quoted Tejashwi Yadav as saying.
Tejashwi Yadav also slammed PM Modi's "Katta" remark, saying he had never seen a Prime Minister speak such language.
“Jiski jaisi soch hai, uski waisi bhavna hai [A person's thinking is how he feels]. He acts like that and speaks just like that. Maybe he pointed guns to make others join the NDA. I do not want to comment on it. But listen to the PM's language,” Tejashwi Yadav said.
I have never heard any PM speak like this, he added.
