UP Energy Minister Challenges Rahul Gandhi to Write Hindi Word, Promises to Drop 'Pappu' Nickname

At the India Bioenergy and Tech Expo in Noida, Uttar Pradesh energy minister AK Sharma ridiculed Congress figure Rahul Gandhi, urging him to write “Vishwavidyalaya” in Hindi and promising to cease the “Pappu” nickname if the task is completed. Sharma further challenged Gandhi to differentiate between a maize field and a sugarcane field and to recite the Hindi expansions of IIT and IIM, implying the leader’s limited Hindi proficiency.

Shifting to policy, the minister said the state would broaden smart-meter installations after a pause for consumer education. He highlighted Uttar Pradesh’s climb to second place nationally in the PM Surya Ghar Yojana’s solar installations and its status as the country’s top producer of compressed biogas, citing an annual generation of about 60 million tonnes of agricultural waste and daily urban waste of roughly 15,000 tonnes.

Sharma invited both domestic and international investors to tap the bioenergy market, emphasizing supportive policies and abundant feedstock. The remarks quickly went viral on social media.