The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has pointedly commented on the Mahagathbandhan’s recent joint press conference poster, which notably excluded any representation of the Congress party or its prominent leader, Rahul Gandhi. Instead, the poster exclusively showcased Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejashwi Yadav.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla took to X (formerly Twitter) to highlight this omission, sharing images of the poster and questioning the alliance’s dynamics. He wrote, “Joint PC? But only one picture. Rahul Gandhi & Congress ka “samman chori”. Showed Congress & Rahul his place?” The term “samman chori” (honor theft) appears to be a retort to the Congress’s earlier accusations of “vote chori” (vote theft) leveled against the Election Commission of India and the BJP.
Adding to the critique, Poonawalla later posted about allegations of “ticket chori” (ticket theft) within the Congress party. His remarks suggest a potential internal rift or power imbalance within the Grand Alliance in Bihar, which includes the Congress and RJD as key constituents. He further elaborated, “So it’s not just “Samman” Respect chori that Congress is grappling with (Tejaswi pic on joint pc poster and rahul gandhi deleted). Now Ticket chori allegations hit Congress especially key team of Rahul Gandhi. Earlier congress mla Afaq Alam said how tickets were sold for cash. In RJD too , sitting MLA made same charge,” underscoring a perceived issue of disrespect and unfair practices within the coalition.