BJP blames Rahul Gandhi for alleged abuses hurled at PM Modi's mother

New Delhi/Patna, Aug 28 (PTI) The BJP on Thursday blamed Rahul Gandhi for alleged abuses directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother during the Congress leader's 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in poll-bound Bihar and said people of the state will give a befitting reply to the opposition party for its “politics of abuse”.

This came after a video clip on social media showed some unidentified people using a Hindi abuse for Modi from a dais raised during the yatra.

The video, which has gone viral, is purportedly of Darbhanga district from where the yatra had taken off on Wednesday morning, when Gandhi, his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as well as RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav left for Muzaffarpur on motorcycles.

PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

Reacting sharply to the alleged abuses directed at the prime minister, the BJP alleged that Gandhi-led 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' has crossed all "limits of insult, hate and tastelessness".

BJP MP and national spokesperson Sambit Patra blamed Rahul Gandhi for the alleged hurling of abuses against Modi and said the Congress, which often associates itself with the freedom struggle, has become a “gali wali party” because Gandhi family is not able to return to power.

"Congress ki galiyon ki dukan seal hogi, aur iski shuruat Bihar se hogi (Congress' shop of abuse will be sealed, and it will start from Bihar)," said Patra.

“Today the kind of language that has been used for Modi ji and his mother, who is no more, in Darbhanga... If anyone is its creator, it’s Rahul Gandhi, none other. Listen to the speeches that Rahul Gandhi gave recently and analyse them,” he said.

For the last five-six days, Rahul Gandhi in his speech has been using the term “tu” to address the prime minister, Patra said.

The BJP leader said that the Congress is pursuing “politics of abuse” and sparing no one because the Gandhi family has not been able to return to power.

“If they do not get 'gaddi' (power), then they can abuse a democratically elected prime minister also,” he charged.

“Rahul Gandhi, we are not expecting any apology from you because you are deriving a sadistic pleasure by abusing Prime Minister Modi. But people are not enjoying it. People of Bihar will give a befitting reply,” the BJP leader said.

Earlier, in a post on X, the BJP said, “Tejashwi (Yadav) and Rahul are behind the use of such a filthy language that it cannot be repeated from a public platform... Such lowliness was never seen before in politics. This Yatra has crossed all limits of insult, hate and tastelessness." They have used a very vulgar language against the prime minister's late mother, it said.

The ruling party claimed that the choice of such an abuse for his mother shows the state of the opposition's desperation as Gandhi and Yadav had earlier invited leaders like M K Stalin and Revanth Reddy, chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Telangana respectively, who are accused of "insulting" people of Bihar.

People of Bihar will not forgive Gandhi and Yadav, the main campaigner for the RJD, for such a mistake even if they apologise thousands of time, the BJP said, calling the incident "extremely shameful".

BJP's Darbhanga district chief Aditya Narayan Jha 'Manna' said, "We are not going to take this insult lying down. We have burnt effigies of Rahul and Tejashwi and are going to lodge a police complaint, seeking a probe and action against those involved in hurling expletives".

A senior Congress leader requesting anonymity said, "We cannot say who the people are whose voice is there in the video. Workers of at least half-a-dozen parties are taking part in the yatra." Apart from the RJD and the Congress, the Mahagathbandhan -- the opposition alliance in Bihar -- includes three Left parties and former state minister Mukesh Sahni's Vikassheel Insan Party. PTI PK KR NAC PK KVK KVK