In a scathing attack on former Bihar Chief Ministers Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday called them “the biggest offenders” of the State. He also took a dig at the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) for perpetuating “dynasty rule” and “corruption”.
The Prime Minister pointed out that after Independence, Bihar has been grappling with the migration of its youth. “When the Jungle Raj government was formed in Bihar, the migration increased manifold. People who brought about Jungle Raj were only bothered about their own family and put the future of lakhs of youth at stake. Bihar’s youth kept moving to the other States in search of livelihood and only one family thrived,” Mr. Modi said while addressing a rally at Aerodrome Ground in Bettiah in West Champaran district of Bihar.
He also referred to the land-for-jobs scam case, in which Mr. Prasad and his family members have been questioned by Central agencies, and asked the people if “such a family could be forgiven”.
“Land was captured under the pretext of giving jobs. Can any human being forgive such people who grabbed land? Will you forgive such a family? The family which brought in Jungle Raj is the biggest offender of Bihar. The family responsible for Jungle Raj snatched the future of the State’s youth. The National Democratic Alliance [NDA] government has protected Bihar from Jungle Raj and is promoting development,” Mr. Modi said.
Mr. Modi added that the NDA has been making all attempts to ensure that the youth of Bihar get employment in their own State. Aiming to connect more effectively with the audience, he also spoke a few words in Bhojpuri.
Attacking the INDIA block, Mr. Modi said the NDA government is trying to make people self-dependent in electricity through solar power but the INDIA bloc still wants people to live by the light of a lalten (hurricane lamp, symbol of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the party of Mr. Prasad and Ms. Rabri).
“As long as the lalten regime was in power in Bihar, poverty was eradicated in only one family and only one family prospered. When I tell the truth, they abuse me. The biggest issue for ‘INDI’ bloc which is filled with corrupt people is that Modi does not have a family. Had Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur been alive, the INDI leaders would have asked the same question to him as well. Not only this, the ‘INDI’ bloc leaders are also staunch supporters of Parivarvaad [nepotism] and corruption and these leaders would have targeted Mahatma Gandhi, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Ram Manohar Lohia, and Jayaprakash Narayan as well had they been alive,” Mr. Modi said.
He further said that these leaders never promoted their own family members and rather chose to dedicate their entire life for the people and the country. He reiterated that “every citizen of the country is his family” while claiming that leaders of the “INDI alliance believe they should get the licence to loot”.
Mr. Modi also accused the Opposition alliance of speaking against Lord Ram and the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. He said people engaged in dynasty politics “insulted Ram Lalla by keeping him in a tent for years”.
It was Mr. Modi second visit to Bihar in a week after visiting Begusrai and Aurangabad earlier. He laid foundation stone and inaugurated various projects worth ₹12,800 crore across several sectors including oil and gas and Railways. This included LPG pipelines, railway track and highway expansion, station upgrades, and flagging off new trains.
Speaking about the contribution of Bihar to India, Mr Modi said that Bihar is the land which had led the country for years, and it is also the land which has given India plenty of talented people.
“The reality is that whenever Bihar has developed, the country has also developed. So, to achieve a developed India, Bihar’s development is equally important. I am happy that after the double-engine government in Bihar, the pace of development has increased in the State,” Mr. Modi said.
