Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took a jibe at the Janata Dal (United) Minister for being caught on camera while allegedly taking Rs. 4 lakh as bribe.
Mr. Modi, though, refrained from making any direct attack on Lalu Prasad or Nitish Kumar in the poll meeting and focused more on the issue of development of Bihar.
While referring to the sting operation in which a JD(U) Minister was caught allegedly taking bribe in a videotape which went viral on Sunday, Mr. Modi said, “They claim to be the disciples of veteran socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan but on his 113 birth anniversary, look at what they did, their Ministers did,” said Mr. Modi while addressing a poll meeting at Jehanabad on Monday.
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Minister for Registration, Excise and Prohibition and Urban Development Awadhesh Kumar Kushwaha was asked to resign by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar himself.
'Special package will change Bihar's fate'
Until the BJP was part of the government nothing happened but ever since he [Nitish Kumar] joined hands with other people [Lalu Prasad] everything changed and now such things [bribery] will keep happening in the company of the new partner”, Mr. Modi said.
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“Democracy is not to finish someone but to fulfill the expectations of common people, poor people”, he added.
He also referred to the Rs. 1.65 lakh crore package given to Bihar and appealed to the people “to vote for the NDA as the package will change the fate of Bihar”.
“This has been my dream — to develop Bihar. And, I appeal to you to elect such a government in the State with whom I can work shoulder-to-shoulder for the development of Bihar”, he said.
Mr. Modi also talked about how Bihar government has not been able to utilise funds given by the Centre for work on welfare measures.
“They [Lalu-Nitish] have ruined Bihar in the last 25 years while abusing each other but now they’ve joined hands together for the lust of power and not for Bihar’s development”, he said.
He appealed to people to vote in large numbers and expressed satisfaction over Election Commission’s good arrangement at the polling booths.