Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday revisited the “Bihari” versus “Bahari” (outsider) campaign pitch of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, declaring that he was the Prime Minister of India, not Pakistan, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh, and questioned whether such an emphatic response could be elicited with regard to Congress president Sonia Gandhi on the “outsider” tag.
The outsider versus insider campaign was an early move in the Assembly polls by the Janata Dal (United), Mr. Kumar’s party, after the NDA failed to announce a chief ministerial candidate, making this a contest between the Chief Minister and his ally, the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Lalu Prasad Yadav and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr. Kumar had repeatedly questioned the BJP for pitching the Prime Minister as its main campaigner in the State polls, querying “Bihar mein bahari raj karega, ya Bihari (who will rule in Bihar, an outsider or one from Bihar)?” The Prime Minister posed the question: “Nitish babu says I am a bahari (outsider) but I’ll ask him if Madam Sonia is also a bahari?”
ADVERTISEMENT
"Is she, who lives in Delhi, a Bihari or a bahari?,” he said at a poll meeting in Gopalgunj.
“How can a Prime Minister be bahari in his own country?” asked Mr. Modi. He said that those who could not give an account of their work resort to such tricks to “mislead” the people.
With just a week to go for the last of the Bihar elections on November 5, political party leaders have been on a whirlwind campaign to woo the voters in the final two phases.
ADVERTISEMENT
Taking on Mr. Nitish Kumar’s alliance partner and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in his home turf of Gopalgunj, Mr. Modi accused him of turning the region into a “mini Chambal.” “People have seen what has happened during those jungle raj of RJD regime…he [Lalu Prasad] had made Gopalgunj a mini Chambal…people were forced to leave Gopalgunj.”
At his Muzaffarpur poll meeting, Mr. Modi made a blistering attack on Mr. Nitish Kumar for his “false claims on corruption.” “Recently, a Minister from Nitish Babu’s party was caught on camera accepting a bribe…he was taking advance money to sell Bihar... have you opened a school in your Cabinet colleague’s house?” asked Mr. Modi.
Mr. Kumar had earlier promised to seize the property of those caught on corruption charges and open government schools in their houses.
“Has Nitish Babu opened a school in the residence of his alliance partner Lalu Prasad who is on parole from the court?” asked Mr. Modi. “No one can level corruption charge of even a single rupee against Narendra Modi,” declared the Prime Minister.
3-point formula
Mr. Modi said migration of youth was Bihar’s “biggest problem” and his government was committed to ensuring employment. “Padahi, Kamai aur Dawai (education, employment and medicine) is my three-point formula for the people of the State, whereas bijli, paani aur sadak (electricity, water and road) is my three-point agenda for the development of the State,” he said.
“Only development can take Bihar ahead and I’ve come to seek your vote for the development of the State,” Mr. Modi declared.
Campaigning for the fourth phase on November 1, covering 55 seats across seven districts, ended on Friday evening.