Patna: Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav over their ongoing Voter Rights Yatra, accusing them of insulting the Constitution and misleading the people of Bihar.
Rai strongly objected to the language used by Rahul Gandhi during the Yatra, saying, “Rahul Gandhi’s language is against the democracy of the country.”
He dismissed Tejashwi Yadav’s declaration of Rahul Gandhi as the Opposition’s prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, remarking, “Rahul Gandhi’s dream of becoming Prime Minister will remain a dream. He can only become a candidate, never the Prime Minister. Similarly, Tejashwi’s dream of becoming Chief Minister will never come true because the people of Bihar will not accept him.”
Asserting that leadership requires merit, Rai said: “In any case, the people of the country choose only a qualified person as Prime Minister and Chief Minister. From that perspective, neither Rahul Gandhi nor Tejashwi Yadav stands up to the criteria of qualification.”
Indirectly targeting Rahul Gandhi’s practice of carrying a copy of the Constitution during rallies, the Union minister said, “Those who roam around with a copy of the Constitution should refrain from insulting it. The people of Bihar and the country are watching how Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav claim to defend the Constitution while simultaneously insulting it. Bihar and the nation will never accept such an insult.”
Invoking history, Rai reminded that it was the Congress Party that imposed the Emergency and “killed the Constitution.”
He said, “The entire Bihar witnessed how Jananayak Jayaprakash Narayan blew the trumpet against the Congress and overthrew Indira Gandhi’s government. Today, the same Congress is giving lessons on democracy and the Constitution—this is hypocrisy.”
Targeting RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi, Rai questioned their alliance with Congress: “RJD calls itself the heir of JP’s movement. The same JP who raised the slogan against the murder of democracy by Congress. Did people risk their lives in the Sampoorna Kranti only for leaders like Lalu Yadav to become slaves of the Congress? Tejashwi Yadav, the people of Bihar are asking you – answer them.”
Rai concluded by demanding clarity from RJD: “During the Voter Rights Yatra, Tejashwi should tell whether he stands with the people of Bihar on democracy and the Constitution, or with Rahul Gandhi and Congress, who have a history of destroying both.”
(IANS)
