A video from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Assam has gone viral where the Lok Sabha MP is seen blowing kisses to BJP supporters in response to Modi Modi chants.
The video shows Rahul’s vehicle passing through the saffron party supporters who chant Jai Shri Ram as security personnel try to control the situation.
“Our ‘Mohabbat ki dukaan’ (shop of love) is open for everyone. ‘Judega Bharat, Jeetega Hindustan’,” Gandhi said in a post on X while sharing a video of the incident.
Sitting inside the vehicle, Rahul waves at the crowd and asks the driver to stop the vehicle. “Why don’t you stop it here,” he is heard saying amongst hesitation from his team.
As the door opens, Rahul enters the crowd, who have been taken aback by this gesture. Chants of ‘Modi Modi’ are heard while Rahul blows kisses to the BJP supporters.
Gandhi lost cool, claims BJP
The BJP, however, claimed that Gandhi was rattled after “Jai Shri Ram” and “Modi, Modi” slogans were raised in his presence.
“If this is how rattled he is, how will he face the people of this country in days ahead, after the anti-Hindu Congress rejected the invite to be part of the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ (January 22 Ram temple consecration ceremony ) in Ayodhya?” BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya said on X tagging the video.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said some people chanted “‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Modi, Modi” during the yatra “so Rahul Gandhi arrogantly charges at them”.
“Security personnel stopped him. ‘Mohabbat ki dukaan’ or ‘Ahankaar ki Dukaan’ (shop of arrogance)
Shameful and atrocious behaviour by entitled dynast! He even made kissing actions to the crowd!!” he said on X.
At the public meeting, Gandhi said, “Some 2-3 kms before, around 20-25 BJP workers carrying sticks came in front of our bus, and when I came out from the bus, they ran away…they think that the Congress is scared of BJP and RSS workers.”
“What kind of dream are they seeing. They can tear as many posters and placards as they want, we don’t care, and are not bothered. We are not scared of anybody, we are neither scared of Narendra Modi nor the chief minister here,” he said.
Assam CM is corrupt: Rahul
Earlier, Gandhi had alleged that Assam’s BJP-led government has been threatening people against joining the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and also refusing permissions for programmes along the route.
Gandhi also continued to target Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, terming him the “most corrupt CM in the country”.
In Nagaon district, Gandhi claimed that even PM Narendra Modi could control the violence in the Northeastern state within three days with the help of the Army, but the BJP doesn’t want to do it.
“Manipur has been burning for several months, but our prime minister hasn’t gone there till date.
“If the prime minister gives an order to the Army, in three days they can stop it. But, the BJP doesn’t want to douse the fire. That’s why the PM doesn’t go there and order the Army to stop the ‘tamasha’,” he claimed.
The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will pass through 100 Lok Sabha constituencies in 15 states, traversing 6,713 km, mostly in buses but also on foot, and culminate in Mumbai on March 20 or 21. It began from Thoubal in Manipur on January 14.
(With PTI inputs)