Congress out to sink RJD, says PM Modi in Bihar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the feud between Congress and RJD would take an ugly turn after their defeat in the Bihar election
PATNA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped his attack on the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-Congress combine, accusing them of stalling Bihar’s progress and engaging in appeasement politics to protect infiltrators.
Addressing election rallies in Saharsa and Katihar, Modi also said that the Congress had taken a contract for sinking the RJD after being forced to announce CM face at gun-point, while both were disconnected from the ground and the people of Bihar, having tasted development, would keep them at bay.
He said, “The jungle Raj cannot be hidden, but they are trying to do so. The man who was a former chief minister (Lalu Prasad Yadav) has his picture either missing or almost lost in the poster, which requires a binocular to detect. What is that sin, which is preventing him (Tejashwi Yadav) from giving a picture of his father? The Congress has been almost removed from the posters. These days, you may also be noticing that even Congress members don’t believe the promises and declarations RJD leaders are making and pass on the questions on their manifesto to the prince of jungle raj. Both RJD and the Congress are at loggerheads.”
“They (RJD-Congress) are pushing Bihar towards danger by taking the sides of infiltrators for votes. They are playing with the future of your children and daughters. Should infiltrators be allowed to avail free ration or free medical aid? The RJD used to make light of the demands for road, electricity and flood protection and made development a monster to rule, which led to backwardness in Katihar. It was a shunting posting for officers, but NDA changed all that when you gave me the opportunity. Purnea has got airport while Katihar is connected with highways,” he said.
Modi further said, “The Congress knows that if the RJD loses this time too, its political career will be over, and Congress will capture the RJD’s vote bank. This tussle to seize each other’s vote bank is now out in the open. You will see how, after the Bihar election defeat, their feud will take an ugly turn.”
He said that the RJD-Congress combine was also against assistance to women. “NDA ki pehchan Vikas se hai aur RJD and Congress ki pehchan Vinash hain. NDA is identified with development, while RJD-Congress is identified with destruction. Nitish Kumar gave ₹10,000 under Mahila Rozgaar Yojana to 1.40-crore women, but these people want this to be stopped. I will tell every sister and daughter of Bihar to be wary of them. These Jungle Raj people want to stop any such aid being offered to you,” he said.
Modi said the RJD and Congress people travelled all over the world, but they didn’t find time to visit the Ram Temple. “There’s a temple built there for the Nishad Raj. There’s also a temple for Lord Valmiki in Ayodhya. There’s also a temple for Shabari Mata in Ayodhya. If you have a problem with Ram, at least bow your head at the feet of Nishad Raj. Why are you ashamed of that? They won’t go,” he said in Saharsa.
Modi said the “insult to Chhath” both at Saharsha and Katihar was a reflection of the mindset of the “royal family” of Congress with the clear intention of undermining the RJD due to internal tussle. “NDA is working to protect our tradition and heritage, but they keep insulting it, but the Congress deliberately insulted Chhath to damage RJD prospects as part of a strategy. Leaders who abuse Biharis are called to the state for campaigning so that people vent their anger on them. The Congress wants to end RJD so it could find space for itself,” he added.
He said that the Congress people were telling the people that when their government would be formed in Delhi, a university like Nalanda would be built in Bihar. “The reality is when the Congress and RJD governments were in power at the Centre, they said so then also and gave just 20 crore rupees for the university and then forgot about it. When you gave me the opportunity to serve you in 2014, we sincerely worked for restoring the glory of Nalanda and allocated over 2,000 crore rupees to the university in 10 years. Today, we have built a magnificent campus for Nalanda University. Today, I proudly say that students from more than 21 countries are studying at Nalanda University,” he added.
Modi also cited the example of Kosi Rail Mahasetu to run down the RJD government. “Its foundation stone was laid by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003. But then, in 2004, Manmohan Singh’s Congress government came to power in Delhi with RJD support. In 2005, Nitish government was formed here, as people wiped out the RJD from every corner. This angered the RJD and their arrogance reached sky high. They were hell-bent on destroying Bihar. The Delhi government was running with their support. So, sitting in the Delhi government, next to Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, they began to take revenge on Bihar and stalled all the Bihar projects. They stopped Bihar’s funding...When NDA came to power it got it completed in 2020,” he added.
He said in the dictionary of RJD and Congress, there are only words like ‘katta’ (country made pistol), cruelty, bitterness, bad manners, bad governance, and corruption. “This is all they learned in the school of Jungle Raj. Your parents witnessed a time when even our protectors were not safe. The lives of the policemen themselves were in danger and a brave DSP of Saharsa, Satyapal Singh, was killed by anti-socials. Every officer, every contractor, every businessman lived in fear. As a result, development was stalled here. Nitish Kumar’s government ended it and transformed Bihar with good governance. It will have industries and produce electric vehicles, like the Madhepura electric engine,” he added.
Listing the achievements of the government, he said the Kosi-Mechi river link project would be a game changer for Seemanchal districts of Purnea, Katihar, Kishanganj and Araria and usher in prosperity by augmenting irrigation potential by two lakh hectares and checking migration. “Bihar is set for a leap and be a hub of all Make in India. Our government is also giving priority to the interests of fishermen and farmers. We created a separate ministry for the fish sector. Flood protection measures are also being taken,” he added.
While Modi held four rallies and a road show in Bihar, Union home minister Shah held rallies in Sitamarhi and Madhubani, while Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath addressed in Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur and Siwan besides holding a roadshow in Patna and Nitish Kumar addressed public meetings in Bhagalpur in a virtual carpet bombing in the last leg of campaigning for the first phase, which ends on Tuesday.
