Congress Nominates Mohammad Naushad for Jale Amid Controversy Over PM Modi Comments

Congress's Mohammad Naushad is set to file his nomination today for the Jale constituency.

The Congress party is facing potential controversy over its candidate selection for the Jale constituency in the upcoming 2025 Bihar assembly elections. According to sources, the party has selected young leader Mohammad Naushad to contest from Jale in Darbhanga district, despite his involvement in a controversy two months ago when abusive language was used at his rally against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's late mother. His nomination filing is scheduled for today.

The Jale constituency had been a point of contention between Congress and RJD for the November 6 election, with results expected on November 14. BJP's Jivesh Mishra, who currently serves as a minister in Nitish Kumar's government, has won this seat in the previous two elections.

A local court is scheduled to hear Naushad's bail application in the abuse case tomorrow.

Naushad first gained notoriety during Rahul Gandhi's Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar when offensive language was directed at PM Modi's deceased mother from the stage of his event held in Darbhanga in August.

The BJP responded strongly to the incident, claiming that the people of Bihar would never forgive Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi. Though Gandhi was in Bihar for his Voter Adhikar Yatra and passing through the area at that time, he was neither scheduled to attend nor did he make an appearance at the controversial rally.

The Prime Minister later described the incident as "deeply saddening, painful, and distressing," while Home Minister Amit Shah termed it a "stain on our democracy."

The Congress party defended itself, with a spokesperson alleging that "BJP agents" had "infiltrated" the event. Pawan Khera suggested the incident was orchestrated by the BJP to divert attention from Gandhi's Bihar yatra.

This is not the first time the Jale candidacy has sparked controversy. In the previous election, Congress fielded Mashkoor Usmani, a former president of the Aligarh Muslim University Students Union. The BJP alleged that Usmani had supported displaying Mohammad Ali Jinnah's portrait at the university, which reportedly damaged the Congress-RJD alliance's electoral prospects across the Mithila region.