NEW DELHI: Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD) chief and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s brother, Tej Pratap Yadav, on Thursday, attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, over his “drama,” remarks on Chhath Puja.“What drama? What does he (Congress MP Rahul Gandhi) know about Chhath Puja? Has he ever done Chhath?” Tej Pratap said, questioning Gandhi’s understanding of the festival. Going further, Tej Pratap cited the Congress leader’s foreign trips, “he is someone who goes abroad. What will he know about Chhath?”His remarks came a day after Rahul Gandhi, while reacting to the Prime Minister’s participation in the Chhath ceremony on the Yamuna, mocked the exercise and said, “They staged a drama and showed the truth of India… The Yamuna has dirty water. If someone drank it, they would either get sick or die. No one can go inside.”The controversy has quickly escalated amid the background of elections in Bihar. Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had jointly launched the INDIA bloc’s election campaign in the state on Wednesday.The BJP also criticised Rahul’s comments, accusing the Congress of insulting the sacred festival. Union home minister Amit Shah asked voters to respond strongly to the remarks. “For Congress and RJD, the worship of Chhathi Maiyya is a drama and ‘nautanki’. Do you agree with them? Will you punish them or not?” Shah said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, slammed Congress and RJD, saying, “Congress and RJD are insulting Chhathi Maiyya. Can anyone insult Chhathi Maiyya for votes in the election? Will the people of Bihar and the country tolerate this?…”Meanwhile, Tej Pratap Yadav expressed confidence about his prospects in the upcoming elections. Contesting again from Mahua, he said he enjoys strong public support and dismissed competition. He stated that the outcome rests entirely with the electorate, noting that the “real power lies with the voters” and that the people of Bihar will deci de who forms the next government.Bihar goes to the polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with counting scheduled for November 14. This year’s contest is shaping up as a three-way fight between the ruling NDA, the INDIA bloc led by Tejashwi Yadav, and new players such as Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj and Tej Pratap’s JJD, both hoping to reshape the state’s political landscape.
