“Big Mistake, Rahul Gandhi”: Kiren Rijiju Takes Swipe at Prayagraj Visit, Says He Should Have Gone to Ranchi

New Delhi: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has taken a fresh swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his recent visit to Prayagraj, saying the Congress leader should have travelled to Ranchi instead.

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s Prayagraj visit on Sunday, Rijiju posted on social media platform X, “You made a big mistake, but humans make mistakes. You should have gone to Ranchi, not Prayagraj.”

The remark came amid an ongoing political confrontation between the Centre and the opposition over the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act and its proposed linkage with delimitation.

Rijiju-Rahul Gandhi Spar Over Women’s Reservation
The political exchange between Rijiju and Rahul Gandhi began on Saturday after Rijiju responded to a video of the Congress leader discussing women’s freedom of expression.

Rijiju urged Rahul Gandhi to support the Women’s Reservation Bill. Rahul Gandhi, however, questioned why the Women’s Reservation Act should be linked to the proposed delimitation exercise.

The issue has emerged as another flashpoint between the government and opposition, with both sides trading accusations over the implementation of women’s reservation in Parliament and state assemblies.

Rahul Gandhi Targets Centre in Prayagraj
Rahul Gandhi reached Prayagraj on Saturday, August 8, where he addressed the “Schools’ Echo” programme. During his interaction with students and young people, he launched a strong attack on the Central Government, alleging that its policies were responsible for worsening problems faced by India’s youth.

At the beginning of his address, Rahul Gandhi said he wanted to focus on three key issues—pain, data and wealth. He said the pain of the country’s youth and the data generated by them were important, but argued that the larger issue was the distribution of wealth. According to Rahul Gandhi, wealth that should reach the younger generation is not reaching them because of what he described as the government’s flawed policies.

‘Reels Have Become a 21st-Century Addiction’
Rahul Gandhi also highlighted what he described as the growing challenges faced by unemployed and underemployed young people. He said watching Instagram and Facebook Reels had become a new form of “21st-century addiction.” He further argued that young people who spend lakhs of rupees on education but still fail to secure jobs are increasingly forced to take up gig-economy work.

Referring to platforms such as Blinkit and Uber, Rahul Gandhi said many educated youngsters are compelled to work long hours in search of income. Rijiju’s latest remark has added another political layer to the ongoing Centre-opposition confrontation, with the Congress and BJP continuing to clash over women’s reservation, delimitation, employment and the concerns of India’s youth.