Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday took several jabs at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, calling his appeal to India’s Gen Z to fight alleged vote theft “hopeless.” Speaking at the India Today Conclave 2025 in Mumbai, Fadnavis said, “Whoever is in love with Nepal can stay there.”
Rahul Gandhi’s call came days after massive protests in Nepal, led by the younger generation, which resulted in the removal of the K.P. Oli government following its move to ban several social media apps.
‘Gen Z has no time to protest,’ says Maha CM
Fadnavis said Rahul Gandhi’s efforts to rally young voters would terribly fail because India’s youth are focused on work, innovation, and global opportunities. “The young people of India do not have the time to protest. Gen Z thinks differently. Rahul Gandhi is alone and hopeless; he doesn’t have anyone to bring down the government. His appeal to Gen Z will not work,” he remarked.
Rahul Gandhi’s call to youth
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, had recently appealed to students and Gen Z to defend the Constitution and democracy. His comments came after he accused the current government of large-scale voter fraud in Karnataka and Maharashtra, claiming votes were being added or deleted in the system using centralised software. The Election Commission has since rejected the allegations as “baseless.”
Drawing comparisons to Nepal, the Congress leader said India’s youth could also rise to protect democracy. In a social media post, he wrote: “The country’s youth, students, Gen Z will save the Constitution, protect democracy, and stop vote theft. I will always stand with them.”
Fadnavis on India vs Nepal
Fadnavis, responding to Rahul Gandhi, said India and Nepal cannot be compared. India has made huge developments, becoming the fourth-largest economy in the world. “Our youth are working in startups, AI, engineering, and biotechnology. Indian youngsters have taken over the world,” he said.
The Maharashtra CM added that Rahul Gandhi seems “shocked” that no one is ready to back him. “He wants to appeal to Gen Z because he still thinks someone is out there who can remove the government from power. But for Gen Z, I do not want to say on national television what Rahul Gandhi’s importance is,” Fadnavis quipped.
Mahayuti’s 2029 election plan
Fadnavis also confirmed that the Mahayuti alliance, including the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, will contest both the 2029 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections together.