No more Papu, Rahul now Pappa: Athawale

After Congress gained victory in three states in the recently concluded Assembly elections, Union Minister and Republican Party of India (Athawale) chief Ramdas Athawale said that Congress president Rahul Gandhi has evolved as a mutual leader and he is no more a 'Pappu', but has become a "Pappa" (dad).

Rahul Gandhi is often trolled as "Pappu" on social media platforms. Also, in the past, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders like BJP MP Devajibhai had faced severe criticism for calling Congress president Rahul Gandhi 'Pappu'.

Responding to an electoral defeat of BJP in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, Ahthwale said, "People who used to call Rahul Gandhi a Pappu should know that he has become a Pappa (dad) now. I have a suggestion for him that he should marry soon to become a Pappa. After all, he has marked a victory in three states,"

Athawale further said that Prime Minister Modi has nothing to do with the party's defeat in the three states. It is a defeat of the BJP, not the Prime Minister.

In the recently-concluded Assembly elections the results of which were declared on December 11, the Congress got a massive majority in 90-member Vidhan Sabha of Chhattisgarh where the party won 68 seats, and the BJP got just 15 seats and the remaining seats went to others including BSP 2 and Ajit Jogi's Janata Congress Chhattisgarh won 5 seats.

In Rajasthan where the poll was held in 199 seats out of 200, the Congress bagged 99 seats, and the BJP 73. On the other hand, Madhya Pradesh saw a nail-biting fight, where the Congress managed to bag 114 seats out of a total of 230, while the BJP got 109 seats.