‘Modi turned Yamuna into a swimming pool drama’: Rahul Gandhi tears into PM at Bihar rally

In a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling NDA, Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on October 29 accused the BJP of exploiting religious sentiments and civic issues like the Yamuna clean-up and Chhath Puja for electoral gain.

“Modiji doesn’t care about the Yamuna or Chhath Puja. He will do anything for votes,” Gandhi thundered at a packed rally in Muzaffarpur, mocking the Prime Minister’s recent dip in the Yamuna River as a “swimming pool drama.”

“It’s a drama,” he said. “Modiji says, ‘Look, I’m bathing in the Yamuna.’ But there was no Yamuna—just a pond. Modi took a dip in his swimming pool. If you ask him to dance on stage for votes, he’ll do that too.”

‘NDA stole votes, plans to silence Bihar’s voice’

Gandhi accused the NDA of “stealing votes” in Maharashtra and Haryana, warning that similar tactics could be used in Bihar. “They will do everything to ensure a government that truly represents Bihar’s voice is not formed here,” he said, urging voters to back the Mahagathbandhan.

“This is what the SIR exercise means,” he added, referring to the ongoing electoral roll revision. “But if you all come together, we will form a government that belongs to every class, caste, and religion. No one will be left behind.”

‘We will protect Ambedkar’s Constitution’

Reaffirming his pledge to defend the Constitution, Gandhi accused the Modi government and the RSS of systematically weakening democratic institutions.

“Whatever you have—your right to vote, education, health—comes from Ambedkar’s Constitution,” he said. “When they steal votes, they attack it. When they appoint RSS men as Vice Chancellors, they attack it. But we will protect the Constitution; no one can destroy it.”

‘Bihar built India, now build Bihar’

Calling on Bihari youth to rebuild their own state, Gandhi said their contribution had shaped cities across India — from Delhi and Gujarat to Bengaluru and Mumbai.

“You built India with your sweat and talent. Why can’t you build Bihar now?” he asked, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.

He also hit out at the Nitish Kumar government over repeated exam paper leaks, calling them a betrayal of students’ hard work. “Students invest so much effort in their studies, but paper leaks rob them of their future. That benefits only a few,” he said.