PATNA: Even as the Congress seethed at Sharad Yadav for his call to voters to “immerse” general secretary Rahul Gandhi and his party into the Ganga, calling the remark “indecent, the JD(U) president stuck to his guns saying, “Yes, I’ve been telling people to dunk the hand, the bungalow and the lantern (poll symbols of the Congress, LJP and RJD) into the Ganga for ever.””Ganga mein bhashaan kar do inko,” Yadav thundered again on Monday. “Why and to whom should I give an explanation?” he asked TOI when told about the Congress leaders objecting vociferously to his remark.Yadav first made the comment on Sunday while addressing a public meeting at Fatuha, 25 km from Patna. “Now, we have this young man who always rolls up his sleeves (naya babua aaya hai jo har waqt bahein uthata rahta hai),” he told the rally, referring to Rahul’s rolling up of his sleeves before and after his speeches.
An angry Congress plans petitioning the Election Commission. “In politics, one should put across one’s views in parliamentary language. But JD(U) president Sharad Yadav and BJP president Nitin Gadkari are making indecent remarks against the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. This betrays their frustration caused by the growing popularity of the youth icon,” state Congress spokesman Premchand Mishra said.He added, “If Sharad fails to apologize publicly within 24 hours, the Congress would seek action against him, including arrest.” He also appealed to JD(U) leader and chief minister Nitish Kumar to “teach his party president manners”.
Congress said that JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav’s comment on Rahul Gandhi showed he had been rattled by the crowds the AICC general secretary has been drawing in his rallies in Bihar. AICC spokesman Shakeel Ahmed said, “Sharad Yadav is rattled by the support Rahul was getting… the crowds coming for his rallies are big. He has got scared. Only a nervous person who has lost his political balance will make such a statement.”Meanwhile, JD(U) general secretary Shivanand Tiwari fired a salvo at Rahul as well. “No one would believe Rahul’s rhetorics as even his grandmother, Indira Gandhi, misled the nation with her ‘garibi hatao’ 40 years ago. Poverty was not eradicated; instead, the number of poor people has gone up,” he said, and added, “Bihar has been neglected since the days of Rahul’s great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru – TOI
