"Political bankruptcy, immaturity": Delhi CM slams Rahul Gandhi's remarks on PM, Chhath Puja

New Delhi [India], October 29 (ANI): Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday hit out at Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi over his remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chhath puja during the Bihar election campaign earlier today.
In a post on X, Gupta alleged that Rahul Gandhi has insulted the sentiments of Chhath devotees and mocked Indian cultural traditions.
"The derogatory remarks made about Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji reflect Rahul Gandhi's political bankruptcy. This proves that the Congress has no agenda for Bihar, and therefore, they are compelled to resort to personal accusations for cheap popularity," she said.
CM Gupta also accused the Congress leader of "political immaturity" and said his comments distanced him from the faith of millions.
"The manner in which Rahul Gandhi has begun his election campaign in Bihar is not only a symbol of political immaturity but also a gross insult to the faith of millions of Chhath devotees," the Delhi CM said.
Gupta further alleged that Gandhi's remarks on the Chhath Mahaparv and the Yamuna River reflected an "insulting mentality" toward Indian culture.
"His remarks on the Chhath Mahaparv and the mockery directed at Mother Yamuna clearly demonstrate how distant his thinking is from Indian culture, Sanatan traditions, and public faith," Rekha Gupta added.
Her reaction comes after Rahul Gandhi, campaigning in Darbhanga, said that the BJP staged a "drama" and built a separate pond for PM Modi to take a dip in during Chhath Puja.
"PM Modi said that he will bathe on the Yamuna for Chhath. The Yamuna has dirty water. If someone drank it, they would either get sick or die. No one can go inside. The water is so dirty that if you enter it, you would get sick or get an infection. But Modi staged a drama. He built a small pond there. They will show you anything for elections. A pipe is installed from behind. Clean water is poured into it. The problem arose that someone took a photo of the pipe," he said.
The Delhi CM also claimed that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the Yamuna ghats in the national capital had transformed, enabling devotees to perform rituals with dignity.
"Where devotees were once forced to worship amidst foam and filth, today those same ghats are replete with cleanliness, facilities, and beauty. This sensitivity is the culture of the BJP," she said.
Calling Gandhi's comments "highly condemnable", Gupta said the people of Bihar and Delhi would not tolerate disrespect toward their faith.
She wrote, "Where devotees were once forced to worship amidst foam and filth, today those same ghats are replete with cleanliness, facilities, and beauty. This sensitivity is the culture of the BJP, where respect for faith is always placed above politics. This statement is an insult to the public faith of Chhath devotees in Bihar and Delhi."
Meanwhile, speaking to the reporters, the Delhi CM accused the Mahagathbandhan of resorting to personal attacks and misleading voters for electoral gains.
"The people of the 'Mahathagbandhan' can do anything for votes during elections. They can belittle the nation. Make personal remarks. Comment on anyone's mother. Their only goal is to get votes and deceive the people," Gupta said.
"They think they can deceive the people of Bihar, but a Bihari can be innocent but not naive. The people of Bihar want development. They want the development they have seen under the NDA's rule...," she said.
The reaction comes after Rahul Gandhi, addressing an election rally at Muzaffarpur on Wednesday, had said, "He (PM Modi) just wants your vote. If you ask him to do a drama for votes, he will. You can make him do anything. If you tell Narendra Modi to dance, he will dance."
Gandhi reiterated his "vote theft" allegations, accusing PM Modi of attempting to steal votes in the Bihar elections.
"They are engaged in stealing your votes. Because they want to end this election disease, I am telling you, they stole elections in Maharashtra, they stole elections in Haryana, and they will try their best in Bihar," he added.
Gandhi addressed a joint rally with the Mahagathbandhan's Chief Ministerial face and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, opening his campaign for the Bihar Assembly elections.
The 2025 Bihar election is the main contest between the National Democratic Alliance and the Mahagathbandhan.
NDA includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha.
Mahagathbandhan, led by Rashtriya Janata Dal, includes Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP).
Additionally, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj has staked claims to all 243 seats in the state. The assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11. The results will be declared on November 14. (ANI)