Rahul Gandhi slips again: Mixes up Mizoram as Manipur

Guwahati: With the ensuing Lok Sabha Election fever catching high, every Political party is on the hunt for even the smallest gaffe by the other parties. So, when Congress President Rahul Gandhi makes a faux pas as getting the name of the states wrong, it is a mistake the other party won't let slide easily.

Rahul Gandhi recently while sharing an article on Sainik Schools in Mizoram that opened its gates to girl students, fifty years after its inception. Gandhi, who wanted to point out that the girl child is no less than a boy child wrote "Sainik School in Manipur" in his post.

"Given the chance, there is nothing a girl cannot do. These girls at the Sainik School in Manipur are proof of this. My best wishes to these brave, inspiring children. You are the future of India. You make us all proud," he said on his Facebook page.

BJP did not let this faux pas go as Amit Malviya, BJP IT cell head, took the lead in deriding the Congress President. "Rahul Gandhi shares an article on Mizoram and writes Manipur. It is this ignorance about the Northeast that is so problematic!" he wrote.

The post was promptly taken off and replaced by the correct version but not before Malviya got the better of Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi, who is often caught on the wrong side for getting his facts wrong and for plain slip of tongue, is frequently mocked by his political rivals. On the other hand, the Prime Minister is also known for getting facts and history wrong frequently - something the Congress does not let go easily either.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi who will begin his tour of Madhya Pradesh from today, ahead of the State’s Assembly election is being mocked at by BJP for the Congress President’s attempt to adopt Hindutva as a political strategy.

Addressing the mediapersons in Indore, BJP spokesperson, Sambit Patra said, "Ujjain ja rahe Rahul Gandhi ji se hum poochhna chahte hain ki aap jenau dhari hain? Aap kaise jeneu dhaari hain, kya gotra hai aapka? (f Rahul wears a janeu’ (sacred thread), what type of janeu’ does he wear? What is his gotra’?)"

Reacting to Sambit Patra’s remarks, Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said "the 'gotra' of the BJP leaders is 'Modiyata' (Modism). However, the 'gotra' of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress workers is Indianness. Jai Hind," she said.

In the run up to the 2019 elections, it will be interesting to see how this war of the words will pan out between the two parties.