BJP, Cong trade barbs over ‘Chhathi maiya insult’
New Delhi: After Prime Minister Narendra Modi charged the opposition Congress-RJD combine with insulting “Chhathi Maiya”, the Congress hit back on Thursday, accusing him of portraying himself as god.
In a post on X, Congress’s media and publicity department head Pawan Khera alleged that the prime minister has the audacity of comparing himself with “Chhathi Maiya” after declaring himself non-biological.
“As soon as the drama of the 5-star Bisleri pool was exposed, the prime minister got riled up. To cover up his own embarrassment, he is now calling it an insult of Chhathi Maiya -- the audacity to compare himself to Chhathi Maiya?
“He has already declared himself non-biological and now, he is indulging in the foolishness of portraying himself as god,” Khera said in his post in Hindi.
The Congress had earlier accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi of creating a pool of fresh water in the capital for the prime minister to take a dip on the occasion of Chhath Puja.
Khera said in the frustration of the imminent defeat in the Bihar Assembly polls, Modi is comparing himself to Chhathi Maiya, which the state and the country will not tolerate.
Earlier, Modi charged the opposition Congress-RJD combine in Bihar with insulting “Chhathi Maiyya”, having “problems with the Ram temple in Ayodhya” and “protecting infiltrators” for the politics of vote bank and appeasement.
The prime minister made the remarks at back-to-back rallies in Muzaffarpur and Chhapra towns, a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused him of trying to enact a “drama” by planning to take a dip in the Yamuna on the occasion of Chhath Puja, but later shelving the plan after it came to light that a puddle was created with clean water since the river was filthy.
Modi urged the people of Bihar to repose their trust in the “Narendra-Nitish” combine, in a reference to Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar, who has been the longest serving CM of the state. “This is my first tour of Bihar after Chhath Puja, which is now famous the world over. The festival stands not just for devotion but also for equality, a reason why my government is trying to get a UNESCO heritage tag for it,” he said.
“I listen to Chhath songs while travelling. I was once moved to listen to one of these songs rendered by a girl from Nagaland. But while this son of yours is busy ensuring that Chhath gets the honour that is its due, the Congress-RJD people are heaping scorn on the festival, calling it a drama, a nautanki,” Modi said, without taking the name of any leader.
Gandhi had alleged that Modi would do “anything for votes, even dance”. Modi said: “Look at the depths to which these people can stoop while seeking votes.”
