Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Sunday mocked the Nehru-Gandhi family over its choice of constituencies, saying only the sea had stopped its members from travelling further south to contest elections in Arab countries.
He was speaking at a government programme in Agar Malwa, where he transferred Rs 1,835 crore into the bank accounts of more than 1.25 crore women under the Ladli Behna scheme.
Yadav claimed that former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi avoided contesting elections from Delhi because voters there knew them well.
“People say the sea came in the way. Otherwise, these leaders would have reached Arab countries or some other place to contest elections,” Yadav said.
He said members of the family instead chose constituencies such as Rae Bareli and Amethi in Uttar Pradesh before moving further south to Kerala’s Wayanad.
Rahul Gandhi won the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Rae Bareli and Wayanad before vacating the Kerala seat. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra subsequently won the Wayanad by-election.
Yadav also targeted Rahul Gandhi over the Congress’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme, scheduled to be held in Indore on September 19.
He accused the Congress of falsely claiming that the Madhya Pradesh government was trying to prevent the event and said Rahul Gandhi was coming to the state with a “chorus of lies” in the name of speaking for students and young people.
Taking a personal swipe at Gandhi, Yadav said, “His name itself is Pappu. If his name is Pappu, he will work like Pappu. What can be done?”
The Chief Minister also accused Congress leaders of repeatedly questioning the judiciary and the armed forces.
He demanded that Rahul Gandhi apologise to the people of Madhya Pradesh for the alleged failure of previous Congress governments to tackle dacoity and Naxalism.
“The BJP government has wiped out both dacoits and Naxalites from the state,” he claimed.
– Ends
Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Sep 13, 2026 23:45 IST
