Holding out a promise of development in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a fresh attack on Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar, saying ‘jungle raj’ now has a twin brother in ‘Jantar Mantar’ and together the two will spell doom in the state.
Addressing a poll rally for last phase of polling in Madhubani, he wooed the youth and women and heaped praises on them, saying his hopes for a new Bihar were pinned on them.
Taking a jibe at Mr. Nitish, Mr. Modi said the Bihar Chief Minister did not believe in democracy and that is why he was resorting to ‘Jantar Mantar’ (black magic). He said only development can take the state forward.
“Bihar has suffered the brunt of ‘Jungle Raj’. ‘Jungle Raj’ now has a twin brother in ‘Jantar Mantar’ Don’t let ‘Jungle Raj’ and ‘Jantar Mantar’ come together, otherwise this combination will only spell doom for Bihar and its people,” he said, warning the voters of the potential this combine can bring if brought to power.
Greeting people in their native language ‘Maithli’, Mr. Modi also mentioned the name of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee saying he loved this land of Maithali.
Heaping praises on the residents of the state, he said, “Bihar stands for brilliant, innovative, hardworking, action-oriented and resourceful” even as he pinned his hopes on youth for ushering a change in the state.
Hitting out at Mr. Nitish Kumar, he said, “Those who have lost the support of people are now resorting to ‘Jantar Mantar’ . Nitish Babu has realised that he has lost out and it is difficult to survive, hence his last resort is to visit babas.
“They have made fun of democracy. Those who don’t believe in democracy do ‘Jantar Mantar’ (black magic)...will you get electricity, water, employment, education by doing Jantar Mantar ,” he asked.
The Prime Minister’s jibe at the Bihar Chief Minister comes in the wake of his video visiting a ‘tantrik’ having gone viral on the social media.
“We have to take Bihar forward with the strength of democracy and not with 18th century ‘mantra tantra’,” he said, asking people to elect the BJP-led NDA to power.
Accusing Mr. Nitish and Mr. Lalu, besides Congress, of ruining the state during their 60 years of rule in the state, Mr. Modi said Bihar needs two engines to steer it out of its miseries.
“One engine will be that of the Central government while the other will be that of the NDA government in Bihar that will steer Bihar to the path of speedy progress and development,” he said.
Lauding the large turnout of women at his election rally, Mr. Modi said, “The number of women joining our rallies is higher than what it was during such rallies in LS polls. The direction of wind is clear.”
Mr. Modi lamented that women are still unable to write and blamed Ms. Gandhi, Mr. Lalu and Mr. Nitish for their plight. He said their voice was not heard by state government and gave an assurance that their grievances will be addressed once NDA is elected to power in the state.
Citing a memorandum he received from women of the area that carried their thumb impressions, he said it is unfortunate that the land known for Nalanda’s knowledge has illiterate women.
“Madam Soniaji you ruled for 35 years, Laluji and Nitishji you ruled for 25 years and what you gave to women. This is the proof of your failure,” he said, assuring women that their dedication by turning out in large numbers will not go waste.
He said the state’s condition and that of the poor will change only when the state government is changed.
“They have thrown Bihar into a deep pit of backwardness. It will take two engines to remove its problems. You have given one engine in Delhi, give us one in Patna to bring the state out of its poor state,” he said.
Lauding Biharis for their hard work, the Prime Minister said people of Bihar have made significant contributions wherever they went and cited the example of Mauritius, where they went as labourers and turned the land into a beautiful place.
He also cited the example of Jharkhand, which was a part of Bihar earlier, and had made its mark among the top ten states of the country while Bihar has lagged behind due to such leaders ruling it.
“Leaders of Bihar are responsible for the poor condition of the state. They are not worried... They have become a liability,” he said.
The Prime Minister also talked of the tourism potential of the area that could provide employment opportunities for the poor without any investment and talked of the Buddha, Ramayan, Mahatma Gandhi, Patna Sahib and Jain circuits having tourism potential.
He also highlighted the work carried out on Ganga cleanliness and development of ghats and said he wanted to replicate it in the land of Kosi.
Remembering the devastation brought by the fury of Kosi river, he said he was keen to serve the people who suffered due to floods but “the arrogance of some” stopped him from helping them.
Mr. Modi also thanked the ‘neutral’ Election Commission for allowing the ‘Mann ki baat’ programme.
The fourth phase of polling is underway on Sunday and the last phase of polling in Bihar will be held on November 5. The results will be out on November 8.
