Patna, Oct 29 (IANS) As Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, began his campaign for the Bihar Assembly elections with rallies in Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga, the BJP on Wednesday questioned his delayed involvement in the polls, asking whether he was a “political tourist.”

BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “Is Rahul Gandhi a tourist in Bihar? He had been missing for quite some time, and now he has suddenly appeared. If Rahul Gandhi is a political tourist, then Bihar welcomes all tourists, and we also extend our greetings to ‘tourist Rahul.’”

Bihar Minister Nitin Nabin added, “After so many days, Rahul Gandhi has suddenly remembered that elections are taking place in Bihar. He went there to drop ‘atomic and nuclear bombs,’ but ended up scoring a self-goal instead. In fact, he probably doesn’t even remember the dates of the Bihar elections, and if you ask him, he wouldn’t be able to tell.”

Addressing his first election rally in Muzaffarpur district, Rahul Gandhi said, “I agree with Tejashwi Yadav, who spoke just before me, that the government in Bihar is being run through remote control. They are simply using the face of Nitish Kumar.”

Gandhi also targeted the ruling BJP at the Centre, calling it “against social justice,” and claimed that it was only after pressure from the opposition that the Narendra Modi government agreed to conduct a caste census.

He further alleged that “two Indias are emerging” — one for ordinary citizens and another for a handful of billionaires. “This is the reason that places like Bihar continue to suffer from poverty, with their vast potential remaining untapped,” the Congress leader said.

The Bihar Assembly elections will be conducted in two phases — on November 6 and 11 — while the counting of votes will be held on November 14. The Election Commission has already announced the poll schedule for the 243-member Assembly.

With this announcement, the Model Code of Conduct has come into effect across the state. Polling will be held in 121 constituencies in the first phase, while 122 constituencies will vote in the second phase.

–IANS

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