Sasaram (Bihar): Launching his campaign for the Bihar Assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoked Friday the alleged reign of ‘crime’ and ‘loot’ during the 15-year rule of the RJD. Narendra Modi sought people’s vote for the NDA to ensure Bihar’s continuous journey towards ‘development’.
In his first rally in Bihar, Modi sought votes for another term of the NDA government under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He said he had been working with the JD(U) president only for the last three-four years. During this period Bihar had seen much speedier development, asserted the prime minister.
Kumar had returned to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in 2017 after fighting against it in 2015.
Modi also accused the opposition of siding with forces which are conspiring to weaken India by promising to restore Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir if it comes to power. Without naming any opposition party, he said their protests against the recent farm reform laws are in fact aimed at ‘saving’ middlemen and brokers while being couched as support for the minimum support price (MSP) and agriculture ‘mandis’.
“The people of Bihar cannot forget the era when life would come to a standstill after sunset. Today, roads, electricity and lights are there. The biggest thing is that a common man in the state can live without any fear,” Modi said.
“People have decided that those who have a history of making Bihar ‘Bimaru’ and loot it when in power will not be allowed to rule it again,” Modi added.
‘BIMARU’ is an acronym for Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. It was used to refer to the ‘poor economic conditions’ of these states.
Modi began his first Bihar poll rally here by paying tributes to LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan and former RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, who passed away recently.
Kumar and BJP ally Mukesh Sahni shared the stage with the prime minister.
Later attending another rally in Gaya, Modi launched a stinging attack on the RJD-led opposition. He blamed the ‘anarchy and bad governance of the 1990s’ for most of the ills that plague Bihar now.
Addressing an election rally here, Modi said the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ (Grand Alliance) is a ‘pitara’ (basket) comprising elements wary of the ‘governments crackdown on anti-national activities’. He stressed that the state must vote to power the NDA led by Kumar.
“Bihar now has electricity. The days of lantern are over,” said Modi in a reference to the election symbol of the RJD founded and headed by Lalu Prasad Yadav.
“Most of the ills that plague Bihar today are the result of the years of anarchy and bad governance it had to suffer in the 1990s. The new generation ought to know that Bihar has been witness to times when people alighting from trains in the night used to stay back at the station since anti-social elements used to maraud freely,” he alleged.