Pappu Yadav defends Rahul Gandhi, slams BJP over criticism and double standards

Patna, April 22 (IANS) Amid criticism of Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on the Election Commission during his visit to the United States, Purnea MP Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav, has come out in strong support of the Congress leader, saying his comments fall well within his constitutional right to free speech.

“He merely expressed his opinion on EVMs and the Election Commission -- a debate that’s not new in India. When Prime Minister Modi criticised the rupee’s value during a US visit, no one raised questions,” Yadav said.

He accused BJP leaders of hypocrisy, alleging that they selectively target opposition leaders while themselves making derogatory remarks -- even about institutions like the Supreme Court.

Referring to BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s recent remarks against the Chief Justice of India, Yadav said, “This is the first time someone has said the CJI will break the country. BJP leaders accuse the judiciary while calling themselves protectors of the Constitution. As MPs, we have the right to make laws -- but the judiciary has the right to review them.”

Yadav also hit out at the BJP for repeatedly dragging Jawaharlal Nehru and Rahul Gandhi into political discourse, and accused the party of using Hindu-Muslim narratives to divert attention from issues like unemployment, inflation, and poor economic policies.

On the low turnout at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally in Buxar, he attributed it to the extreme heat, claiming that large mobilisations aren’t happening for any party -- not even for Prime Minister Modi’s upcoming rally in Madhubani on April 24.

“Let’s see what kind of crowd PM Modi draws in Madhubani. We want him to answer -- what happened to the sugar mills in North Bihar, the Darbhanga paper mill, or the milk factory in Madhepura? Are they announcing the reopening of these facilities?” he asked.

Brushing off questions about seat-sharing and leadership within the INDIA bloc, Yadav said, “Why is everyone so concerned about our internal matters? We know who our leaders are. The Chief Minister will be decided after the elections.”

He also took a jibe at the NDA leadership, saying, “Without Nitish Kumar, the BJP has no ground in Bihar. Balasaheb Thackeray played a key role in building the BJP in Maharashtra, but they betrayed leaders like Uddhav Thackeray, Mehbooba Mufti, and Eknath Shinde. They’ll do the same to Nitish Kumar.”

Reiterating his support for social justice, Yadav strongly backed the idea of a Chief Minister from SC/ST/OBC/EBC communities. “There will be no CM in Bihar except from the SC/ST/OBC/EBC category. That is our clear stand,” he said.

--IANS

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