Rahul jumps into muddy pond, interacts with fishermen in poll-bound Bihar
Begusarai (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday jumped into a muddy pond in Bihar and interacted with fishermen present at the spot, whom he told that they always had his back.
The leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, who addressed a rally in Begusarai district, went to a nearby pond along with former state minister Mukesh Sahni, whose Vikassheel Insan Party is a junior partner in the INDIA bloc.
The leaders took a boat to reach the middle of a pond, where Sahni, who had stripped down to his vest and underpants, cast a net, impressing Gandhi with his prowess.
The former minister, who likes to be called 'son of Mallah', a nickname highlighting that the former Bollywood set designer was back home to champion the cause of the fisherman's community to which he belongs, appeared excited with his catch and jumped into the chest-deep waters.
The Congress leader, who kept donning his trademark white T-shirt and cargo pants, followed Sahni, evoking roars of 'Rahul Gandhi zindabad'.
A large number of fishermen were also present at the spot, some of whom dived to join the leaders in chest-deep waters. Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar was also among those present.
A video clip of the incident was shared by the Congress on its X handle, stating Gandhi also discussed with the fishermen "challenges and struggles they face in their work".
The social media post also highlighted the INDIA bloc's promises like an insurance scheme for pisciculture and financial aid of Rs 5,000 to every family of fishermen for the "three-month-long lean period" during which fishing remains prohibited.
The party's state unit also shared the video clip, with the tongue-in-cheek remark, "This is a real pond".
The allusion was to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plans for a dip in River Yamuna at Delhi on the occasion of Chhath Puja, which, according to Gandhi, was given up when it came to light that the chosen spot was "a puddle created with the help of clean, piped water".
An indignant BJP has been reacting to Gandhi's jibe, accusing him of "insulting" the most popular festival of Bihar. Meanwhile, Gandhi seemed to have won over many villagers in Begusarai.
Local news channels reported villagers expressing their delight over the former Congress president "shaking hands with us".
One channel reported that Gandhi later went to a nearby house for a change of clothes, where the occupants, all women, gushed, "He washed himself under the hand pump out there and used the decrepit washroom nearby, all without making any fuss."
The Congress leader also made a mention of the incident at the subsequent rally that he addressed in Khagaria.
"A little while ago, I went to catch fish with Sahni ji. Why? Because I want all farmers, fishermen, labourers and other such people who earn their living by the sweat of their brow, to feel that Rahul Gandhi is with them," the Congress leader said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Rupee falls 9 paise to all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): Rupee depreciated 9 paise to an all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade on Monday, weighed down by uncertainty over an India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Forex traders said rupee is trading with a negative bias as investors are in wait and watch mode and awaiting cues from the India-US trade deal front.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.53 against the US dollar, then fell further to an all-time intraday low of 90.58 against the greenback, registering a fall of 9 paise over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee had slipped 17 paise to close at an all-time low of 90.49 against the American currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent lower at 98.35.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.52 per cent at USD 61.44 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 298.86 points lower at 84,968.80, while the Nifty was down 121.40 points at 25,925.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 1,114.22 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue to be in selling mode in equity and debt while RBI has been selling dollars to fund their long positions," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
