Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday executed confidence in winning the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls, saying that the NDA under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will break all previous electoral records.
He criticised the opposition INDIA bloc, saying it was led by people out on bail.
Addressing his first election rally in the state, the PM asked the crowd to turn on their mobile phone lights and joked about the RJD, saying modern gadgets make lanterns unnecessary.
Modi mocked the opposition coalition, calling it a ‘lathbandhan’ where partners fight each other. He praised the NDA’s unity, highlighting leaders like Nitish Kumar, Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Upendra Kushwaha.
Lauding Nitish Kumar’s tenure, Modi said central assistance to Bihar in the last 11 years was three times more than before. He said Bihar is now exporting fish and makhana and is an attractive investment destination.
PM Modi criticised the ‘jungle raj’ under RJD and Congress, saying only 15 paise of every rupee reached the people. He said Bihar will vote for good governance and keep ‘jungle raj’ at bay.
The Prime Minister also mentioned breaking the spine of Maoism and expressed confidence that NDA will break all previous records in Bihar. He criticized Tejashwi Yadav and Lalu Prasad, saying people out on bail cannot be trusted.
He began his speech with Maithili and local dialect, evoking applause. PM Modi also visited Karpoori Gram and paid tributes to Karpoori Thakur. He further thanked the crowd for attending despite the upcoming Chhath festival and referred to the recent GST rate revision, calling it a ‘festival of savings’.
The 243-member Bihar Assembly will go to polls in two phases on November 6 and 11, with results announced on November 14.
(With inputs from PTI)
