Look who I found campaigning for Congress: Rahul Gandhi mocks PM Modi on Instagram

Nov 10 (AZINS) On Saturday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi looked to mock the PM and BJP by posing with PM Modi’s lookalike Abhinandan Pathak.

In a light-hearted Instagram post, he wrote: “Look who I found campaigning for the Congress party in Chhattisgarh  #chhattisgarh #modi #election #congress #india”

A new entrant to the grand old party, Pathak was with the BJP-led NDA constituent Republican Party of India (Athawale) as its state vice-president for Uttar Pradesh till he joined the Congress last month in the presence of actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar.

"Since I look like Modiji, people will always ask me where are the 'acche din' (good days), as promised by Modiji ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election. Hurt by seeing problems of the common man, I left the BJP's ally to join Congress last month," Pathak told PTI.

Pathak, who has been campaigning for the Congress in various seats of the region, including Jagdalpur, Dantewada, Kondagaon and Bastar, is drawing attention in a big way from the locals who jostle to click selfies with him.

On his campaign trail, Pathak always targets the prime minister, while mimicking his style, over his promises of 'good days' and depositing Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts of every Indian after retrieving black money stashed abroad.

Pathak claims he is campaigning against the BJP and Modi for the first time since 2014 and till now he used to campaign only for the saffron party and its allies.

During the last Lok Sabha polls, there were several lookalikes of Modi, including Pathak, who were seen in different places across the country during election campaigns.

However, sitting Congress MLA Devti Karma, who is again contesting the election on the party ticket, said she is not even aware about any Modi lookalike campaigning for her.

Devti, who is the wife of Salwa Judum founder late Mahendra Karma, said she is seeking votes in the name of her late husband.

Karma is said to have mobilised the controversial movement against Naxals in Chhattisgarh and he was killed by the left-wing extremists in 2013, days ahead of the state assembly elections that year.

Local Congress leaders, who are accompanying Pathak, however, said his unique way of campaigning is helping them in reaching out to BJP voters.

The BJP candidate, Bhima Mandavi, however, said that the Congress resorting to using a Modi lookalike for the campaign proves the prime minister's popularity only.

"People here are very wise. They can differentiate between the original and the fake. There is only one Modi, there cannot be another," Mandavi said.

Incidentally, Pathak has been campaigning in the region at a time Modi himself is scheduled to address a rally in Jagdalpur on Friday.

The voting for the 12 assembly seats of the Bastar region will be held on November 12.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had waived loans worth Rs 3.5 lakh crore of 15 select industrialists during his tenure.

Addressing a rally here ahead of the state Assembly polls, Gandhi said he wanted Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to become agriculture centres in five years and provide food, fruits and vegetables to the country.

"In the last four-five years, Modiji gave Rs 3.5 lakh crore to the 15 richest people. While an amount of Rs 35,000 crore is needed yearly to run the MGNREGA scheme in the country, he waived loans worth 10 times that amount of 15 select industrialists," he alleged.

"Modiji has given the keys to the treasury to 15 select people but the Congress wants the keys to be given to farmers, youth, poor, women and tribals," Gandhi said.

The 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly will go to the polls in two phases -- on November 12 and 20.

The Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls will be held on November 28.

The results will be announced on December 11