Rahul's 'sweet diplomacy' to black flag-waving BJP youth goes viral
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Bihar: Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, was in Arrah on Saturday as part of his 16-day Voter Adhikar Yatra.
During the visit, workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the BJP’s youth wing, dressed in black shirts and waved black flags at Gandhi while he was seated on his jeep. The BJYM workers also confronted him over alleged derogatory remarks made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother at a Mahagathbandhan event in Darbhanga.
A video from the event shows BJYM workers waving black flags as Gandhi’s vehicle passes. Gandhi halted his jeep, called one of the young men closer, and asked his security personnel to allow the interaction. Gandhi is seen speaking briefly to the young man before offering him candies as he drove away.
The confrontation follows an incident in which an expletive was reportedly used against Prime Minister Modi and his late mother by some Congress workers during the Voter Adhikar Yatra. In response, the BJP filed an FIR in Patna and demanded an apology from Gandhi. Congress worker Mohammad Rizvi, arrested on Friday for making objectionable comments against Modi, has been sent to 14-day judicial custody.
This is not the first instance of protest against Gandhi during the yatra. Earlier in the month, during his Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar’s Nawada, he reportedly faced ‘Murdabad’ slogans from BJP supporters. On that occasion, Gandhi stopped his jeep, smiled, and responded with flying kisses, a gesture that reportedly calmed the crowd and even brought smiles to some protesters’ faces.
Looking ahead, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) will join Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav for the concluding leg of the Voter Adhikar Yatra in Patna on September 1. TMC MP Yusuf Pathan and Uttar Pradesh unit leader Lalitesh Pati Tripathi will represent the party during the event, according to PTI.