Rahul Gandhi, speaking at a rally in Bhagalpur, Bihar, accused the BJP of paying TV channels to broadcast Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s face continuously.
He alleged that the ruling party was using money power and media control to suppress opposition voices.
Gandhi urged voters to look beyond media narratives and focus on issues like unemployment and inflation.
At a rally in Bihar’s Bhagalpur, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on the BJP, alleging that the party was paying television channels to keep Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s face on air around the clock. Addressing a large crowd, Gandhi said the media’s constant focus on the Prime Minister was not organic but “funded visibility.”
“The BJP pays TV channels to show the Prime Minister’s face 24 hours a day,” he claimed, accusing the ruling party of trying to drown out opposition voices through money and media control.
Gandhi has earlier accused the BJP and its allies of tampering with voter lists and using unfair means to influence the outcome, warning that similar patterns had been seen in other states as well. Gandhi appealed to Bihar’s youth to take an active role in safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process. “It is the responsibility of the people of Bihar, especially the youth, to stop this vote theft,” he said.
As the state enters a heated election season, Gandhi’s remarks add to the growing political friction between the INDIA bloc and the NDA. His appeal to younger voters reflects the Congress’s push to mobilise first-time voters and frame the contest as one between democracy and manipulation.
Gandhi criticised the PM for promoting “addiction” to social media. “Modi wants you to become addicted to making reels, Instagram, Facebook... This is the new high (‘nasha’) of the 21st century. He wants such a scenario because this would ensure that the youth remain distracted, and do not hold his government accountable for their problems about education, health and employment,” he alleged.
“The INDIA bloc, if voted to power in Bihar, will be a government of the extremely backward, socially marginalised and Dalits,” he added.
