Patna: In an election year where political parties are vying to position themselves as champions of social justice, BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal on Sunday criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s upcoming visit to Bihar. Gandhi is scheduled to address an extremely backward classes (EBC) conference in Nalanda on June 6.Jaiswal claimed that PM Narendra Modi has visited Bihar nearly 50 times since 2014, when he was declared the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. In contrast, he accused Gandhi of engaging with the state only during elections. “Since his bachpan (childhood) to the age of 55, Rahul comes out of his AC chamber only when there is an election in the state,” Jaiswal said.Bihar is set to go to the polls in Oct-Nov this year.“Rahul first came to Bihar in Jan to propagate the British divide and rule policy. He should tell how many times he has visited Bihar from childhood to the age of 55. If a PM can make time for Bihar, why can’t he?” Jaiswal asked.The BJP leader alleged that the Congress MP’s interest in Bihar is opportunistic. “The Congress MP is coming when his boat has already sunk in Bihar. Where was he for five years? People of Bihar like PM Modi and CM Nitish,” he said.Ahead of the PM’s two-day visit to the state on May 29 and May 30, deputy CM Samrat Choudhary had said that it marked Modi’s 50th visit to Bihar. In contrast, Rahul’s June 6 appearance will be his fifth visit to the state this year. The PM, by comparison, has made three visits to Bihar in 2025.Union minister and BJP MP from Begusarai, Giriraj Singh, also took aim at the Congress on Sunday, accusing party president Mallikarjun Kharge of echoing Pakistan’s rhetoric. Singh criticised Kharge for demanding proof of Operation Sindoor, a cross-border military action following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, in which 26 tourists were killed. “He is speaking the language of Pakistan,” Singh said.