The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for going on a jungle safari in Madhya Pradesh's Panchmarhi even as the high-stakes Assembly elections are underway in Bihar, saying that Leader of Opposition actually stands for "Leader of Paryatan and Partying".
In a post on X, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said: "For Rahul Gandhi, LoP stands for Leader of Paryatan and Partying. While Bihar goes to polls, he goes on vacation. When they lose, they'll blame the Election Commission and release a PowerPoint on H Files (holiday files)."
He then went on to take another swipe at Rahul Gandhi, quoting a Hindi couplet, "Ta umr Congress yeh galti karti rahi, dhool chehre pe thi, Congress aaina saaf karti rahi," implying that the party does not introspect despite its electoral defeats.
BJP National spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also took to X to mock the Congress leader over his trip to Panchmarhi.
"Election in Bihar, Rahul Gandhi enjoying a "Picnic Safari" in Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh! Rahul's Safari, Picnic with Congress workers outside Bihar is a visible exit poll of Bihar Elections 2025!" he wrote on X.
Rahul Gandhi visited Pachmarhi, a hill town in Madhya Pradesh's Narmadapuram district, on Saturday to attend a training camp for the state Congress district presidents.
He went on a jungle safari in a green open jeep on Sunday morning, leaving Ravishankar Bhavan and travelling nearly 10 kilometres to the Panarpani Gate before heading back. Gandhi is likely to fly to Bihar later today to address a poll rally in Kishanganj on the last day of election campaigning.
During his visit, Rahul Gandhi reiterated his charge that the Election Commission was enabling “vote theft” through the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, allegedly acting under the influence of the BJP.