'Bhagoda' jibe: BJP's Gopchade targets Rahul Gandhi over Parliament absence

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Gopchade decided Saturday was a good day for name-calling, branding Rahul Gandhi a "bhagoda" (deserter) for allegedly dodging Parliament debates — because apparently showing up is now a partisan issue. He then turned his attention to Sanjay Raut, suggesting the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader spend less time critiquing others and more time gazing into a mirror.

Not one to let a good "Chhatron Ki Goonj" event go unchallenged, Gopchade counter-punched Rahul Gandhi's Pune programme by bringing up alleged education-scam skeletons in Karnataka and Jharkhand's closets — the political equivalent of "well, YOU messed up first."

But Gopchade wasn't all fire and brimstone. He pivoted to inspirational-poster mode, declaring youth power "national power" and confidently announcing that India's youth had already picked a side — his. (Democracy: solved.)

Asked about the Krishna Janmasthan-Shahi Eidgah dispute in Mathura, he got suitably poetic about Ram, Krishna and India's "spiritual and cultural legacy" — before quickly remembering to add the standard disclaimer that, yes, the Supreme Court and Constitution will actually have the final word. Just in case anyone thought otherwise.

with inputs from PTI