Rahul Gandhi said he respected the Ganga. After he left, some people who claimed to be BJP members used Ganga water to “clean” the spot where he had stood.

Addressing a rally near the Nandi Stambh, a pillar in the Godaulia locality of Varanasi, after his Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra visited the temple town, the Congress leader had said he respected the people as much as he respected the holy river.

“I went to the (Kashi Vishwanath) temple to pray. I came here to pay obeisance to Gangaji. I’m not here with any sense of pride. I came before Gangaji with bowed head. I’m also here before you with bowed head,” Rahul said.

“I told my party that people would come to see me during my Yatra. Poor or rich, all should be allowed to speak their mind. Whoever comes to me should feel at home, as though they are meeting their brother. They should be welcomed and treated with kindness.”

Earlier, as Rahul performed puja at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, over a dozen people who wore saffron scarves chanted “Modi, Modi” and “Jai Shri Ram”.

Such taunting has been seen almost everywhere Rahul has gone with his Yatra, but in Varanasi the hecklers went a step further, washing the spot from where Rahul had addressed the crowd with Ganga water.

“My name is Satguru Pathak and I’m from the Varanasi Mahanagar unit of the BJP. We brought 51 litres of Gangajal to wash the place where Rahul stood and talked about Mother Ganga,” a man said.

“He (Rahul) mostly lives abroad and eats meat. How dare he worship at a temple and profess respect for Mother Ganga!”

Asked about the non-vegetarians and globe-trotters among BJP leaders, Pathak didn’t deign to answer.

Addressing the crowd, Rahul had said: “My concerns are unemployment and inflation. Their (the BJP’s) agenda is to divert your attention from the real issues. They drag in religion and mislead you so that you don’t question them.”

Rahul accused the media of silence on unemployment and himself interviewed a youth from his open SUV.

He introduced the young man to the crowd as “Rahul from Bihar”, placed a hand on his shoulder and asked: “Rahul, since how long have you been looking for a job?”

Youth: I took my intermediate exam in 2018 and cleared my three-year graduation course in five years because of delays in exams. I’m here to appear in a state police recruitment exam. There are 60,000 vacancies and 65 lakh applicants…. They (the government) are snatching all the jobs from us.

Rahul: Tell us, did you attend university?

Youth: Yes sir, I’m doing a postgraduate course from Magadh University.

Rahul: How much money have you spent on your education?

Youth: I need Rs 5,000 a month just for food, etc.

Rahul: So, how much did you spend?

Youth: About Rs 10 lakh. Many “brothers” like me are spending similar sums. There are other students in my family, too.

Rahul: Did you spend 2 lakh or 3 lakh?

Youth: Five times higher.

Rahul: You spent 10 lakh?

Youth: Maybe more.

Rahul: So you spent Rs 10 lakh to get a job?

Youth: Yes, sir.

Rahul: When will you get a job?

Youth: I want to say something. Earlier, people used to say the Congress had vanished. I’m not a Congress worker; I’m just a student.... People took the Congress lightly a year or two ago. But people started taking you seriously during your Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Rahul: No, no, listen, we are talking about unemployment.

Youth: Yes sir, I have hopes from you. We want to replace the Narendra Modi government.

The Yatra later reached Bhadohi, where Rahul spent about two hours before abruptly returning to Varanasi.