Bihar needs ‘startup, not hands up’, PM Modi targets RJD in Sitamarhi rally
Modi said people were not voting for the RJD-led opposition in Bihar as they feared that if the INDIA came to power, the regime would “put a katta at their heads”
Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday once again reiterated his “katta” (country-made pistol) jibe while addressing an election rally in Bihar’s Sitamarhi ahead of the second phase of Assembly elections on November 11.
The PM said that people were not voting for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led opposition in Bihar as they feared that if the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) came to power, the regime would “put a katta at their heads.”
“In Bihar, it’s fashionable to come here with a pistol and say, ‘Hands up’. Now, we are giving children books, computers, and laptops. Our children want to excel in sports. But the RJD is talking about giving pistols and double-barreled guns. These people want to make their own children ministers, MPs, MLAs, and chief ministers. There’s no place in Bihar for those who say ‘Hands up’... Bihar needs ‘startup’, not ‘Hands up’,” he said, referring to a recent video circulated online.
“What the RJD people want to do for the children of Bihar is clearly evident in the election campaigns of their leaders. Just listen to the songs of these jungle raj people and their slogans... On RJD platforms, innocent children are being made to say that they want to become rangdar,” he added.
The PM referred to the Punaura Dham project in Sitamarhi, the birthplace of Goddess Sita, as an example of the NDA’s regard for “heritage (Virasat)”. He also said that under the ‘Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyami Yojana’, launched over a month ago, ₹10,000 each has been transferred into the accounts of over one crore women.
The PM further attacked the RJD-Congress saying, “Those who are guided by the politics of vote banks can never do good for the state. Their vote bank politics has led them to even protect infiltrators.”
He also took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi: “Fishery sector saw huge growth in Bihar, some people practising diving in ponds in the state,” he said, mocking Gandhi’s recent dip in a pond along with VIP leader Mukesh Sahni.
Modi expressed delight over the high voter turnout in the first phase of elections two days ago, when, according to the Election Commission, 65.08% voters had exercised their franchise. “You have given a big shock (zor ka jhatka) to the opposition. They are getting sleepless nights,” he said.
The Sitamarhi constituency, one of the 243 Assembly seats in the state, is set to witness a triangular contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and the Jan Suraaj Party in the second phase of polling scheduled for November 11.
