Patna:
A crowd in Bihar’s West Champaran district clapped and whooped today as Congress’s Rahul Gandhi smilingly deflected a jibe directed at him by a group in the audience. “Woh bol raha hai tu pakora tal (he is saying that you should go fry pakoras (vegetable fritters),” a man in the crowd shouted as Rahul Gandhi hit the campaign trail the day the first round of assembly elections started with 71 seats.
Unfazed, Rahul Gandhi grinned. “Did you fry pakoras? When you come next, you should offer some to Nitish-ji and Modi-ji,” he said tto cheers and the applause. The man who heckled Mr Gandhi, was also heard laughing.
Over the last days, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had lost his temper on several occasions.
Last week, when someone raised “Lalu Yadav zindabad (long live Lalu Yaav) slogans at his rally, he shouted at the man, asking him to “stop this nonsense”.
“Raise your hand, whoever is speaking such anap-shanaap (nonsense),” the Chief Minister had demanded. He was somewhat mollified when after a brief silence, someone shouted “chara chor (fodder thief)” – a reference to Lalu Yadav, who has been jailed for the huge corruption involving cattle fodder..
