Rahul’s Bihar bombshell rocks Congress

Asked if Rahul’s observations on Bihar were correct, Singhvi said he could not field this question. ‘‘Each sentence cannot be dissected,’’ he said, adding that ‘‘we need more time’’ to come out with a correct version.

Bihar goes to polls next month, where Congress has tied up with key UPA ally, Laloo Prasad Yadav’s RJD.

Singhvi met reporters after party general secretary Ambika Soni—in charge of its media department—held a meeting of her entire team to formulate a response.

Singhvi said that Rahul would like to reiterate that in this ‘‘so-called interview’’, he never said that he could have been Prime Minister at the young age of 25. ‘‘This and numerous other things have been incorrectly reported and are being refuted outright,’’ the spokesman said, quoting the MP from Amethi.

In remarks attributed to Rahul Tehelka, he had said that there is ‘‘no trace of governance’’ in UP and Bihar, which is now under Central rule.

‘You can travel right across these two states but you won’t find a trace of governance here… There is no functioning government in UP and Bihar and so there is no governance. There is a total collapse of the administrative system in these states. Nothing happens here,’’ Rahul was quoted as saying.

Visit Patna first: RJD to Rahul

NEW DELHI: Laloo Prasad Yadav’s RJD has slammed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on the lack of administration in Bihar, saying any decline had happened during his party’s rule.

‘‘The Bihar downfall has started from the Congress’s time when Jagannath Mishra was CM between 1985 and 1995,’’ said party spokesman Sanjay Paswan.

‘‘We are allies and if there is lawlessness and a breakdown of administration, we should work together to work out a solution,’’ he added. Paswan said Gandhi should take a trip to Bihar to assess the situation. ‘‘We don’t agree with his remarks. He should come and see for himself,’’ he added.