PATNA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi intensified his offensive against the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-Congress alliance, alleging they are damaging Bihar’s future through appeasement politics, protecting “infiltrators,” and deliberately hindering the state’s development for political gain.
Speaking at election rallies in Saharsa and Katihar, PM Modi made several key points:
- Appeasement and Infiltrators: He accused the RJD-Congress combine of taking the side of “infiltrators” for votes, compromising the future of local residents, and questioning whether infiltrators should receive free ration or medical aid.
- Internal Tussle in the Alliance: Modi claimed that the Congress was forced to name the Chief Ministerial face of the RJD at “gun-point” and is now secretly working to “sink the RJD” to capture its vote bank. He cited the near-absence of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s picture from Tejashwi Yadav’s posters as evidence of internal conflict and denial of the “Jungle Raj” era.
- Development vs. Destruction: The Prime Minister drew a clear contrast: “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). He said the RJD had treated development as a “monster” to maintain backwardness, making Katihar a “shunting posting for officers.”
- Ram Temple and Tradition: Modi criticized the RJD-Congress leaders for traveling globally but not finding time to visit the newly built Ram Temple in Ayodhya. He also accused the Congress of deliberately “insulting Chhath” to damage the RJD’s electoral prospects as part of their internal struggle for dominance.
- Stalled Projects: He recalled how the Kosi Rail Mahasetu project, whose foundation was laid by former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003, was stalled by the Congress-led UPA government (supported by RJD) after 2004 as an act of “revenge on Bihar.” He noted the NDA government finally completed it in 2020. He also highlighted the NDA’s investment of over $2,000$ crore rupees for the new Nalanda University campus, contrasting it with the mere $20$ crore rupees allocated by the previous RJD-Congress-backed central governments.
- Good Governance: Modi praised CM Nitish Kumar’s government for ending the “Jungle Raj” era, citing the killing of DSP Satyapal Singh by “anti-socials” in Saharsa as a reflection of the past. He listed the Kosi-Mechi river link project as a current game-changer for the Seemanchal districts.
The intense campaign blitz included Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath holding multiple rallies, alongside CM Nitish Kumar’s virtual meetings, in a final push before the first phase of voting.