‘Product which failed every time’: Shivraj mocks Rahul for 'expiry date' remark

NEW DELHI: Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his prediction that the BJP 's "expiry date" was approaching, calling the remark "laughable" and describing the Congress leader as a "failed product". The exchange followed Rahul's address at a public gathering in Margao, Goa, on Sunday, where he attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah and urged voters to give the Congress a full majority in the 2027 Assembly elections.

"You think about Goa. In Delhi, in a short while, we will deal with Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. You don't need to worry about that. The work is underway; their expiry date is approaching," Rahul, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, had said. Responding in a post on X, Chouhan said, "It's laughable to hear that the product which failed the quality check every single time in its 99 launch attempts is now talking about the BJP's expiry date."

Chouhan defends BJP's leadership

In a separate post, the Union minister accused what he called the "regime change gang" of failing to gain public support, arguing that young people, farmers and women continued to trust the country's leadership.

"The people of the country have faith in a leadership that has raised India's stature before the world, taught the country to move forward with confidence and stands firm in the face of every challenge. India could neither be misled by false narratives nor intimidated by conspiracies or ideas that weakened the country," Chouhan said.

He added that the country's honour and the future of its 1.4 billion people remained the government's foremost priorities. "Public trust does not depend on any narrative. It is built through work, commitment and the integrity of leadership," the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said. Chouhan also described the BJP as a movement dedicated to national reconstruction and the welfare of poor people, women, young people and farmers.

Referring to the Emergency, he said those who imposed it had been defeated by voters. "They even imposed an Emergency. They turned the entire country into a prison. But in the end, the people consistently defeated them in elections. The BJP will continue to grow and serve the nation," he said.

Rahul Gandhi targets BJP leadership in Goa

Raebareli MP made the remarks while addressing the concluding event of the Congress's 'Goy Rakhon Yatra' in Margao on Sunday. The 27-day campaign, which began on September 22 and covered all 40 Assembly constituencies, focused on safeguarding Goa's land, environment, cultural heritage and identity.

During the address, the former Congress president accused the BJP leadership of electoral malpractice, corruption and targeting student protesters. He also alleged that chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Amit Shah and PM Modi were involved in what he described as "vote chori".

"Gyanesh Kumar implements the theft of votes, Amit Shah operationalises it, and Narendra Modi orchestrates the entire plan from behind the scenes," Rahul said. He also questioned why no defamation case had been filed against him specifically over his allegations of vote theft, despite facing more than 45 cases, as he claimed. Congress MP urged Goan voters to give the Congress a full majority in the 2027 Assembly elections, citing allegations of corruption, land grabbing, land conversion and unemployment in the state. The Congress leader also accused the BJP government of failing to address concerns over land and the treatment of student protesters in Delhi.