'Can anyone insult Chhathi Maiyya for votes': PM Modi's big attack in Bihar after Rahul Gandhi's 'pond drama' jibe

PM Modi was addressing an election rally in Muzaffarpur.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday came down heavily on the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), charging them with dishonouring Chhathi Maiya -- a deity deeply revered in Bihar and eastern parts of the country.

“... For Congress and RJD, the worship of Chhathi Maiya is a drama and 'nautanki'. Do you agree with them? Will you punish them or not,” said PM Modi at a public rally in Bihar's Muzaffarpur.

He said the NDA government is making efforts to include the Chhath Puja in UNESCO’s "World Heritage List".  "The women who observe such a long fast without water... The women who stand in the Ganga Ji and offer arghya to Surya Dev. In the eyes of RJD-Congress, they are doing a drama. Will the mothers and sisters of Bihar tolerate this insult to Chhathi Maiya? I know that no person from Bihar can forget this insult to Chhathi Maiya..."

The Prime Minister’s remarks came in response to Rahul Gandhi’s jibe at him and the NDA, accusing them of exploiting Chhath and Yamuna clean-up pledges for electoral gains. Gandhi taunted that PM Modi had taken a dip in a "swimming pool" and claimed it was the Yamuna.

"PM Modi said that he will bathe on the Yamuna for Chhath. I said in the last meeting that we can get anything done from PM Modi during the elections. In the next meeting, if 200 people from the crowd ask PM Modi to dance on stage in return for votes, the dance would begin," Rahul Gandhi said earlier.

"They staged a drama and showed the truth of India... The Yamuna has dirty water. If someone drank it, they would either get sick or die. No one can go inside. The water is so dirty that if you enter it, you would get sick or get an infection... But Modi staged a drama. He built a small pond there... They will show you anything for elections... A pipe is installed from behind. Clean water is poured into it... The problem arose that someone took a photo of the pipe," he added.