Upping the ante on the main opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) without directly naming it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued his attack at Muzaffarpur, as he addressed his second rally of the day.
As Bihar votes for phase one, the PM warned the people of Muzaffarpur about the ‘Prince of Jungle Raj’ in an apparent reference to Tejashwi Yadav and the ‘kidnapping industry’ of the past.
He also played on the fear psychosis of the crowd by wondering about the fate of the Covid relief fund if a party known for lawlessness returned to power.
He went a step further to raise questions on the handling of funds meant for containing the pandemic. “You can imagine what will happen to the funds for Covid-19 if they come to power… What else can residents of Bihar expect from the ‘Yuvraj’ (prince) of ‘Jungle Raj’, given their past record?”
“Forget about providing government jobs, even the private companies will vanish (if they come)…They have the copyright on the kidnapping industry,” warned the PM as the crowd cheered.
Giving a glimpse of the lawlessness of the Lalu era to a younger generation who may not be aware of the realities of the time but have the right to vote now, PM Modi said, “The political party which is infamous for closing down industries of Bihar, from whom investors kept distance, is now promising development to the people of the state.”
This was a dig at RJD’s promise of creating 10 lakh jobs and taking it up in the first cabinet meeting itself.
Making a case for the BJP-JDU alliance, the Prime Minister told the crowd that it was Bihar’s opportunity to re-elect those who pulled the state out of darkness.
During the Muzaffarpur rally the Prime Minister also said that their votes will decide how quickly the goals of a self-reliant Bihar can be achieved. In earlier rallies, the PM has been pitching the idea of a self-reliant India via a self-reliant Bihar.
As the first phase of voting was underway in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday raised the Ram Mandir issue in his rally in Darbhanga. He also reminded the people of the ‘Jungle Raj’ during the erstwhile Rashtriya Janata Dal’s 15-year-rule.
“A grand Ram Temple is being built in Ayodhya… but those political forces who used to question us on the date (of when the temple construction will begin) are now forced to applaud… This is the identity of the BJP and the NDA, we do what we promise,” Modi said while referring to Sita’s connection with the Mithila region of which Darbhanga is a part.
Raising a finger at the RJD, without referring to it, over the law and order issue, the Prime Minister said, “The people of Bihar have resolved to again defeat those who introduced the ‘jungle raj’ in the state and looted Bihar. Crime was rampant in the state under them.”
He said that those who ruled Bihar in the past had special ‘love’ for the word ‘commission’ and alleged that bribe was the norm while schemes were not implemented. He recalled the example of the Kosi Setu that connected Mithilanchal.
The Prime Minister also urged those who would be exercising their electoral rights on Wednesday to take precautions in view of the pandemic.
A total of 71 seats have gone to the polls on Wednesday. Six members of the Bihar cabinet are contesting in the first phase.
