NOIDA: Uttar Pradesh energy minister AK Sharma on Tuesday took a dig at Congress leader

Rahul Gandhi, challenging him to write âVishwavidyalayaâ in Hindi and saying he would stop calling him âPappuâ if he did so.

Sharma made the remarks on the sidelines of the India Bioenergy and Tech Expo and the 3rd International Conference and Exhibition on Bioenergy and Technologies in Noida. His comments have since gone viral on social media.

âIf Rahul Gandhi writes âVishwavidyalayaâ in Hindi, I will stop calling him âPappuâ,â Sharma said.

He also challenged Gandhi to visit a farm and differentiate between a maize field and a sugarcane field.

âTake Rahul Gandhi to your farm and ask him to differentiate between a corn field and a sugarcane field. He won't be able to do so,â he said.

Sharma further questioned Gandhiâs ability to speak and write in Hindi, referring to the full forms of IIT and IIM.

âRahul Gandhi can't even tell the full form of IIT and IIM in Hindi. If he does so not English or Italian but in Hindi, I will stop calling him âPappuâ,â Sharma said.

Speaking about Uttar Pradeshâs power sector, Sharma said the state would expand the installation of smart meters after creating greater awareness among consumers.

âSmart meter is a good technological innovation, like your smartphone. Itâs very transparent, itâs a very scientific instrument but we need time to explain to the consumers,â Sharma said.

He said the state had temporarily paused further installations to educate consumers about the technology, its functioning and benefits before resuming the wider rollout.

Sharma also highlighted Uttar Pradeshâs progress under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana, saying the state had moved to second place nationally in total installations, behind Gujarat. He expressed confidence that Uttar Pradesh would become the top-performing state within a month.

On bioenergy, Sharma said Uttar Pradesh had become the countryâs largest producer of compressed biogas (CBG), but aimed to further increase its share of the national market.

He said the state generates around 60 million tonnes of agricultural waste annually, providing a substantial raw material base for CBG production. Its cities also generate around 15,000 tonnes of waste every day that could be used for bioenergy generation, he said.

Sharma invited domestic and international investors to explore opportunities in Uttar Pradeshâs bioenergy sector, citing the stateâs large agricultural and urban waste base and supportive policies.