NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav of “insulting” BR Ambedkar during his ongoing “Voter Adhikar Yatra” in poll-bound Bihar.In a social media post on X, BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya said that incidents “demonstrate how deep their hatred is towards Baba Saheb Ambedkar.” “Today, once again, the young princes of the Congress and RJD alliance have insulted Baba Saheb Ambedkar. Last time, Lalu Prasad Yadav showed contempt, and this time, Rahul Gandhi has done the same,” Malviya said.”These incidents clearly demonstrate how deep their hatred is towards Baba Saheb Ambedkar, a revered leader of the Dalits and society. Now this has become an “insult journey,” he added.He also shared a video in which Rahul Gandhi’s bodyguards were seen pushing a man away as he tried to approach the Congress leader with Ambedkar’s photo in his hand.This comes months after RJD supremo Lalu Yadav was accused of disrespecting the portrait of BR Ambedkar.A video went viral on social media in which an RJD worker is seen placing a picture of Ambedkar as a gift near Lalu’s feet on the table on his birthday. Lalu neither touched the picture nor uttered a word.Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin and DMK MP Kanimozhi also joined Rahul and other INDIA bloc leaders in the ongoing “Voter Adhikar Yatra” at Muzaffarpur.The 16-day ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar, involving Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, aims to raise awareness about alleged irregularities in the voter list, which opposition leaders have termed a case of ‘vote chori’ (vote theft). Covering over 1,300 km across 20 districts, the yatra is scheduled to conclude in Patna on September 1.Bihar assembly elections are expected later this year, although the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced an official date.While the NDA, comprising the BJP, JD(U), and LJP, aims to continue its tenure in Bihar, the INDIA bloc, comprising the RJD, Congress, and left parties, seeks to oust Nitish Kumar. In the current Bihar Assembly of 243 members, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) consists of 131 with the BJP having 80 MLAs, JD(U)-45, HAM(S)-4, with the support of 2 Independent Candidates.
