Rahul Gandhi's 5 Gaffes That Put Congress, INDI in Hotwater Amid Polls

New Delhi: In the run-up to elections, politicians must watch their words. But it seems like Rahul Gandhi and his party are having a tough time with this. People are scratching their heads, wondering why the former Congress president keeps stumbling over his statements, especially when elections are just around the corner. 

During the grand finale of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Mumbai, Rahul Gandhi, known for his blunders, made a slip-up. While addressing the crowd in Maharashtra, he was expressing concerns about the functioning of EVMs, using the word 'Shakti' in Hindi to underscore the opposition's battle against the power of the state. However, his words ended up as, "In Hindu dharma, there is Shakti, and we are fighting that Shakti," stoking a controversy.  

"There is a word 'Shakti' (might) in Hindi. We are fighting against a Shakti (might of the state). The question is, what is that Shakti and what does it entail for us? The soul and integrity of EVMs have been traded to the King (Modi). This is a fact. Not just EVMs but every autonomous institution of the country, be it the ED, CBI or Income Tax department, have traded their spines to the Centre," Rahul Gandhi said in an address in Mumbai.

The battle between Worshippers and Opposers of Shakti

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on RaGa, while addressing a public rally in Shivamogga.  He said, “Yesterday (Sunday) in Mumbai Shivaji ground, INDI Alliance made an announcement that they want to destroy ‘Shakti’. If they want to destroy ‘Shakti’ then worshipping ‘Shakti’ is our resolve." 

In his speech, Modi said: “When I heard the announcement to eliminate Shakti from Shivaji Park, I thought how it would have hurt Bal Thackeray’s soul." The Prime Minister noted that the announcement of "eradicating Shakti" was made at Shivaji Park where every child grows up with the Mantra of ‘Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji’.

'How Congress, RaGa Defended Controversial ‘Shakti’ Remark

The Congress party came forward to support Rahul Gandhi, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge issuing a statement in defence. “The Shakti remark Rahul Gandhi was talking about… I will openly say that Modi-ji has this Shakti in the form of RSS and ‘Manuvaad’. They want to rush us using this Shakti.”

Later, Rahul Gandhi also issued a lengthy remark to defend his controversial remarks. “Modi ji does not like my words, he always tries to change their meaning by twisting them in some way or the other because he knows that I have spoken a deep truth. The power that I mentioned, the power that we are fighting, is the mask of that power, Modi ji. It is such a power that today has captured India's voice, India's institutions, CBI, IT, ED, Election Commission, media, Indian industry and the entire constitutional structure of India in its clutches. have taken. For the same power, Narendra Modi ji waives off loans worth thousands of crores from Indian banks, while an Indian farmer commits suicide when he is unable to repay a loan of a few thousand rupees. The same power is given to India's ports, India's airports, while India's youth is given the gift of Agniveer, which breaks his courage”, said Rahul Gandhi on X. 

He added,"While saluting the same power day and night, the country's media suppresses the truth. Narendra Modi ji, a slave of the same power, imposes GST on the poor of the country, without controlling inflation, he auctions the country's property to increase that power.

I recognize that power, Narendra Modi ji also recognizes that power. He is not a religious power of any kind, he is the power of unrighteousness, corruption and falsehood. That's why whenever I raise my voice against him, Modi ji and his machine of lies get upset and enraged."

Rahul Gandhi's Series of Self-Goals  

PM Modi 'Not Born In OBC':  Rahul Gandhi’s remark on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's caste was also based on wrong facts.  “Modi ji has been misleading the people by saying that he is an OBC. He was born in a family of the ‘Ghanchi’ caste, which was included in the OBC list during the BJP government's tenure in Gujarat in 2000. He changed his caste to OBC after becoming the CM of Gujarat. Therefore, Modi ji is not an OBC by birth,” the Congress MP made the remarks while making a brief speech during his Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra. However, if we look at the fact, it is clear that the Gujarat Government's notification in 1999, which listed Narendra Modi's caste as Other Backward Class (OBC), was issued on October 27, 1999, a full two years before he assumed the role of Chief Minister of Gujarat.

Aishwarya Rai danced at Pran Pratishtha ceremony: Rahul Gandhi mistakenly also claimed that Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai was dancing at the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya on Jan 22. While addressing his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Amethi, UP, Rahul said, "Did you see the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony at the Ram Temple? On one side, Aishwarya Rai was seen dancing, and on the other end, Amitabh Bachchan was coming doing the Balle Balle."

Amma Canteen or Indira Canteen:  Rahul had once referred to Karnataka's subsidized food service, the Indira canteen, as the "amma" canteen, which is another widely recognized subsidized food provider in Tamil Nadu. Confused between 'Bhrashtachar' and ‘Balatkaar’: While addressing a women's rally in Madhya Pradesh, RaGa had mixed up two Hindi words Bhrashtachar (Corruption) and Balatkaar (Rape) while addressing the escalating incidents of violence against women in the BJP-ruled states.

Factory of Chips, not Potato: Speaking to people in Firozabad, Rahul found himself in hot water after a slip of the tongue during a speech addressing farmers' demands for a 'potato factory" in their area. The gaffe was a simple misunderstanding, a common occurrence in his speeches. What Rahul intended to convey was support for a factory producing potato chips, not a literal "potato factory."

Steve Jobs in the Microsoft?: Raising eyebrows, Rahul Gandhi while addressing students ofNarsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies in Mumbai, said, "One day you're going to run this country, run the institutions, you will be the Steve Jobs in the Microsofts and the leaders…the Facebooks of this country." While it's unclear whether it was a slip of the tongue or a genuine mistake, as Steve Jobs co-founded Apple, not Microsoft.

Confused between MNREGA and NREGA: During a parliamentary session, Rahul Gandhi criticized the NDA government for its stance on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme, commonly known as NREGA. However, in a momentary slip, he referred to it simply as NREGA, omitting Mahatma Gandhi's name.   

INDI's Sanatan Slander 

Udhayanidhi Stalin, the Minister of Youth Welfare and Sports of Tamil Nadu, is a well-known film actor and son of Chief Minister and DMK chief M K Stalin. Speaking at a conference in September 2023, Udhayanidhi Stalin had said Sanatana dharma is against social justice and equality and should be “eradicated’. Likening Sanatana dharma to coronavirus, malaria and dengue, he said it should be destroyed.

He had also defended his statement saying he hadn't done anything wrong, adding that he was ready to face legal consequences regarding his statement. "I haven’t said anything wrong. What I said was right and I’ll face it legally.. I will not change my statement. I have spoken my ideology. I’ve not spoken more than what Ambedkar, Periyar or Thirumavalavan had said. I can be an MLA, a Minister or a Youth Wing Secretary and tomorrow I may not. But being a human is more important."

Senior DMK leader A Raja had also courted controversy, saying, "If you say it's this God, this is Jai Sri Ram, this is Bharat Mata ki Jai, then we and Tamil Nadu will never accept Bharat Mata and Jai Shri Ram….Tamil Nadu won’t accept. You go and tell, we’re enemies of Ram," A Raja