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    EYE ON INDIA                                                      NOVEMBER 07, 2025        |  The Indian Eye                    8

                                                           BIHAR POLLS 2025

                         War of Words Escalates as

              Campaign Enters Final Stretch

              With days to go before the first phase of polling, verbal duels between BJP and the Opposition

                         have turned the Bihar election into a fierce battle of rhetoric and accusations.

            OUR BUREAU
            Patna

                  s  Bihar  gears  up  for  a  high-
                  stakes  assembly election,  the
            Apolitical  temperature in  the
            state has soared, with parties en-
            gaging in a no-holds-barred war of
            words. What began as sharp political
            jibes has snowballed into a full-blown
            controversy after the Bharatiya Ja-
            nata Party (BJP) lodged a complaint
            against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi
            for his “dance” remark about Prime
            Minister Narendra Modi — a com-
            ment that has triggered outrage
            within the ruling party and a spirited
            counterattack from the Opposition.
                The BJP’s formal complaint
            to  the  Bihar  Chief  Election  Officer
            accuses Gandhi of making “highly
            derogatory, indecent and personal   Congress MP Rahul Gandhi addresses a Mahaghatbandhan election rally for the Bihar Assembly election, in Nalanda on Thursday (AICC/ANI Photo)
            remarks” against the Prime Minis-
            ter during rallies in Muzaffarpur and   cused the BJP of being “issueless” and   Ranjan  Chowdhury  said  that  under   future where products are “Made in
            Darbhanga on October 29. The par-  using manufactured outrage to divert   Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, the Op-  Bihar, not Made in China.”
            ty urged the Election Commission to   attention from its governance failures   position was united in exposing what   For the BJP, the response has
            take “immediate and exemplary ac-  in Bihar. “Just imagine how issueless   he called the “vote theft” strategy of   been equally combative. Senior lead-
            tion” against the Congress leader for   a party can be. They have no agenda,   the BJP. “Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi   ers  have accused the Congress  of
            violating the Model Code of Conduct   no report card, no vision for the Bi-  Yadav’s pair has stirred the BJP in Bi-  dragging the campaign into the gutter
            and “lowering the dignity of the Prime   har elections, and yet they are mak-  har. The people have seen through the   and insulting the Prime Minister for
            Minister’s office.” The BJP has even   ing this an issue,” Khera said. He also   drama. There is going to be a change   electoral mileage. Party insiders say
            sought a campaign ban on Gandhi,   reminded the BJP that its leaders, in-  in  Bihar,”  Chowdhury  said.  Former   the BJP intends to highlight the “dis-
            calling his comments a direct insult to   cluding the Prime Minister, had often   Haryana  Chief  Minister  Bhupinder   respectful” tone of the Opposition as
            India’s highest constitutional position.  used harsh words against opponents.   Singh Hooda added that the public   evidence of its desperation. “Rahul
                The controversy began when Ra-  “A party whose Prime Minister uses   mood was shifting. “People have made   Gandhi has crossed all limits. He’s not
            hul Gandhi, while addressing a rally in   words like ‘mujra’ has the guts to ob-  up their minds. Mahagathbandhan will   just attacking Modi but the very office
            Muzaffarpur, accused Prime Minister   ject to the word ‘dance’? What bigger   form the next government. No matter   of the Prime Minister,” a BJP spokes-
            Modi of being willing to “do anything   joke could there be?” he added.  how many big leaders BJP sends, it’s   person said.
            for votes.” “He just wants your vote.   As the political slugfest inten-  the people who will vote,” he said.  As the countdown to polling day
            If you ask him to do a drama, he will.   sifies,  both  camps  have  turned  the   At rallies across the state, Rahul   begins, the Bihar campaign stands as a
            If you tell Narendra Modi to dance,   campaign into a battle of narratives.   Gandhi has continued to  hammer   mirror to Indian politics itself — noisy,
            he will dance,” Gandhi told a cheer-  For the Congress and its Mahagath-  the ruling party on bread-and-butter   emotive, and polarized. Between the
            ing crowd, taking a swipe at what he   bandhan allies, including the Rash-  issues. In Sheikhpura, he questioned   BJP’s claims of dignity and Congress’s
            described as Modi’s performative pol-  triya Janata Dal (RJD), the strategy   why Bihar’s youth have to migrate   insistence on calling out “hypocrisy,”
            itics. The BJP immediately pounced   is clear — attack the BJP over unem-  for jobs and medical treatment. “A   voters now face a different kind of
            on the remark, framing it as an “un-  ployment, price rise, and the lack of   city like Dubai was built by the hard   contest — not just between alliances,
            becoming and personal attack” that   opportunities in Bihar. For the BJP,   work of Biharis. Then why can’t Bihar   but between tone and temperament.
            “crosses the line of decency and dem-  the focus is on Prime Minister Modi’s   provide jobs for its own people?” he   In the end, it is Bihar’s electorate
            ocratic discourse.”               personal credibility, welfare schemes,   asked. He called for Bihar to reclaim   that will decide which argument, and
                Congress, however, hit back hard.   and the party’s promise of stability.  its legacy as a centre of education and   which attitude, truly deserves to take
            Party spokesperson Pawan Khera ac-    Senior  Congress  leader  Adhir   knowledge, urging voters to imagine a   centre stage.

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