Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday jumped into a muddy pond in Bihar and interacted with fishermen present at the spot, whom he told that they always had his back.
The leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, who addressed a rally in Begusarai district, went to a nearby pond along with former state minister Mukesh Sahni, whose Vikassheel Insan Party is a junior partner in the INDIA bloc.
The leaders took a boat to reach the middle of a pond, where Sahni, who had stripped down to his vest and underpants, cast a net, impressing Gandhi with his prowess.
The former minister, who likes to be called ‘son of Mallah’, a nickname highlighting that the former Bollywood set designer was back home to champion the cause of the fisherman’s community to which he belongs, appeared excited with his catch and jumped into the chest-deep waters.
The Congress leader, who kept donning his trademark white T-shirt and cargo pants, followed Sahni, evoking roars of ‘Rahul Gandhi zindabad’.
A large number of fishermen were also present at the spot, some of whom dived to join the leaders in chest-deep waters. Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar was also among those present.
A video clip of the incident was shared by the Congress on its X handle, stating Gandhi also discussed with the fishermen “challenges and struggles they face in their work”.
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The social media post also highlighted the INDIA bloc’s promises like an insurance scheme for pisciculture and financial aid of Rs 5,000 to every family of fishermen for the “three-month-long lean period” during which fishing remains prohibited.
The party’s state unit also shared the video clip, with the tongue-in-cheek remark, “This is a real pond”.
The allusion was to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plans for a dip in River Yamuna at Delhi on the occasion of Chhath Puja, which, according to Gandhi, was given up when it came to light that the chosen spot was “a puddle created with the help of clean, piped water”.
An indignant BJP has been reacting to Gandhi’s jibe, accusing him of “insulting” the most popular festival of Bihar. Meanwhile, Gandhi seemed to have won over many villagers in Begusarai.
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Local news channels reported villagers expressing their delight over the former Congress president “shaking hands with us”.
One channel reported that Gandhi later went to a nearby house for a change of clothes, where the occupants, all women, gushed, “He washed himself under the hand pump out there and used the decrepit washroom nearby, all without making any fuss.” The Congress leader also made a mention of the incident at the subsequent rally that he addressed in Khagaria.
“A little while ago, I went to catch fish with Sahni ji. Why? Because I want all farmers, fishermen, labourers and other such people who earn their living by the sweat of their brow, to feel that Rahul Gandhi is with them,” the Congress leader said.
