At a Sitamarhi rally, PM Narendra Modi mocked Rahul Gandhi’s recent fish-pond dive in Begusarai, saying “bade bade log” are practising to drown in Bihar elections and warning against a return to ‘katta sarkar’. His remarks add heat to the Phase-2 campaign. Read full context, turnout data and political reactions.
PM Modi’s sharp jibe at Rahul Gandhi’s fish-pond dive in Bihar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a veiled swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, mocking the latter’s recent fish-pond dive in Begusarai while addressing a rally in Sitamarhi ahead of Phase-2 of the Bihar assembly elections. Without naming Gandhi, Modi joked that “bade bade log” are coming to Bihar to “dive for fish” and added a stinging couplet: “Paani mein dubki laga rahe hain… Bihar ke election mein doobne ki practice kar rahe hain” — a quip that immediately caught the political spotlight.
The jibe followed footage of Rahul Gandhi wading into a muddy pond in Begusarai earlier this week while interacting with fisherfolk. The video, widely circulated on social media, showed Gandhi stepping into chest-deep water and even joining local leaders in casting nets — an image the BJP seized on to portray him as staging photo-ops rather than focusing on substantive issues. Modi used the moment to paint the Opposition as outsiders seeking attention in Bihar’s electoral landscape.
Modi’s Sitamarhi speech went beyond the punchline, widening into a broader attack on the Opposition’s governance record. He accused RJD and its allies of encouraging a culture of coercion and lawlessness, warning that voters do not want a “katta sarkar” — a government of guns and extortion. The Prime Minister contrasted that alleged threat with the NDA’s promise of development, law and order and continued stability.
