Lucknow, 22 April

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Tuesday attacked Rahul Gandhi for his remarks against the Election Commission, saying he treated foreigners as his own and Indians as strangers.

Gandhi, who is on a visit to the US, raised questions on the BJP-led coalition's victory in the Maharashtra assembly polls and alleged that the Election Commission of India was "compromised".

In a post on X, Maurya said, "For Rahul Gandhi, foreigners are his own and the people of his own country are strangers. The bitter truth is that he is making futile attempts to hide his lack of leadership skills".

"He is roaming around with a copy of the Constitution, but it is not going to benefit him. He is not taken seriously by anyone in the country or abroad," Maurya said.

The deputy CM said Gandhi is seen as "maskhara neta" (non-serious leader), a sentiment, he claimed, is shared privately by several Congress leaders.

"Despite losing over 50 elections, no one from the Congress party dares question the royal Gandhi family," he added.