In Bihar, Rats Drank Liqour, In Gujarat, They Are Drugs: Kanhaiya Kumar, Campaigning For Gujarat Local Body Polls

Ahmedabad: Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Kanhaiya Kumar, who is in Ahmedabad for the party's 'Samvidhan Sankalp Sabha' (Constitution Pledge Assembly) ahead of Gujarat local body elections, waded into the controversy surrounding the latest report presented by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) for the year 2024-25 in the Gujarat Assembly, exposing security lapse in the storage of narcotics in the state.

The former JNU student leader said, "While rats in Bihar consume liquor, in Gujarat they consume drugs. If a Congress MLA defects to the BJP, he is made a minister. If Hardik [Patel] leaves the Congress to join the BJP, he becomes an MLA."

The CAG report, released last week, revealed that 35 per cent of all drugs seized in the state over the past 12 years have gone missing. Out of 6,510 kg of seized drugs, only 4,177 kg could be accounted for; with the remaining 2,332 kg claimed to have either been consumed by rats, or stolen.

Gujarat Local Body Polls

Elections in Gujarat for 15 (out of 17) municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 zilla panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats is likely to be announced this coming week, with polls and results wrapped up by mid-May.

Kumar's event was originally scheduled to take place in the Behrampura area of ​​the city. However, due to a lack of police permit, it was held at the Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan — the Congress party office in Paldi.

Regarding the local body polls, Kumar said, "I have come to Ahmedabad to address the 'Samvidhan Sankalp Sabha'. We have also raised several pertinent issues before the Election Commission. The Congress party is contesting these elections with full vigour, and in the near future, we will form the government."

He added, "We intend to engage with people across this city. For the past 20 years, the reins of governance here have rested entirely in the hands of the BJP, which holds power at all three levels: Local self-government bodies, the state Assembly, and the Lok Sabha. Despite that, 38 out of every 100 children born in Gujarat suffer from malnutrition. The youth are unable to find employment."

'Digital India, Teleprompter PM'

He then took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, "I recently read a report stating that the proceedings of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly are not broadcast live. We have come to observe the actual state of affairs in the home state of a PM, who frequently tours the country, championing 'Digital India', while delivering speeches by reading from a teleprompter."

Continuing his attack on the BJP, he said, "CDs featuring BJP leaders are surfacing," before adding, "Please make a 'Reel' on this."

Regarding defections, he said, "When Hardik Patel was in the Congress, he wasn't even an MLA. After joining the BJP, he became one. Congress workers often become ministers after switching over to the BJP. A majority of the MLAs and ministers in the state's ruling dispensation came from the Congress."

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