Chhapra/Muffarpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday charged the opposition Congress-RJD combine in Bihar with insulting ‘Chhathi Maiyya’, having “problems with Ram temple at Ayodhya” and “protecting infiltrators” for the politics of vote bank and appeasement.
He made the remarks at back-to-back rallies in Muzaffarpur and Chhapra towns, a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that Modi had tried to enact a “drama” by planning to take a dip in the Yamuna on the occasion of Chhath Puja, but it was shelved after it was exposed that a puddle had been created with clean water since the river was filthy.
The PM urged the people of the state to repose their trust in the “Narendra-Nitish” combine, an obvious reference to the JD(U) president, who has been the longest serving chief minister of Bihar.
“It is my first tour of Bihar after Chhath Puja, which is now famous world over. The festival stands not just for devotion but also for equality, a reason why my government is trying to get a UNESCO heritage tag for this festival,” he said.
“I listen to Chhath songs while travelling. I was once moved to listen to one of these songs rendered by a girl from Nagaland. But while this son of yours is busy ensuring that Chhath gets the honour that is its due, the Congress-RJD people are heaping scorn on the festival, calling it a drama, a nautanki,” he added, without mentioning any leader by name.
Gandhi had alleged that the PM would do “anything for votes, even dance”.
Modi said, “Look at the depths to which these people can stoop while seeking votes. This is an insult to the festival of Chhath that Bihar will not forget for centuries.”
“Just look at the contempt these people have for the people of Bihar. One of their leaders, while holding the post of Punjab CM, had declared at a public rally that Biharis should be driven away. And the daughter of a big family in the Congress, who is now sitting in the Parliament, giggled and clapped,” he said.
The allusion was to an incident involving former Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
“The INDI Alliance, the RJD-Congress, are capable of nothing except politics of appeasement and vote bank, for which they are protecting infiltrators,” said the PM, in an apparent reference to the opposition coalition’s strident stance against Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
“They always have a problem with our cultural heritage. Their leaders can take time off to go abroad on tours. But you may have never seen them visiting the Ram temple at Ayodhya, which was constructed after a struggle that lasted for 500 years,” he said.
Terming his opponents as “naamdar” (people with a pedigree), Modi said they cannot stomach the fact that a backward class leader, who used to sell tea, has attained such heights.
“They need to know I do not owe my achievements to their benediction but to the blessings of the people and the Constitution framed by Babasaheb Ambedkar,” he said.
He alleged that Ambedkar was insulted by the Congress and RJD leaders.
He claimed that all surveys were showing that the RJD-led coalition would face a humiliating defeat in the assembly polls, so it was making “unrealistic promises”.
“RJD-Congress manifesto is in fact a rate chart, their promises are for ‘rangdaari’, ransom, corruption, loot,” he alleged.
“All surveys are indicating that the NDA is heading for a big victory. And the RJD-Congress combine will face the worst drubbing in their history,” he claimed.
Modi also alleged that the Congress-RJD combine stood for five ‘Ks’ — ‘katta’ (country-made weapons lawlessness), ‘kroorta’ (cruelty), ‘katuta’ (social resentment), ‘kushasan’ (misgovernance) and corruption.
He remarked, with a hint of alarm, “What type of songs are being played at the rallies of RJD. These speak of ‘katta’, ‘chhura’ (dagger), ‘dunaali’ (double-barreled guns), and kidnapping sisters and daughters.”
Modi claimed 35,000-40,000 abductions took place during the RJD regime in the state, and “goons used to loot vehicle showrooms”, an indirect reference to the wedding of Misa Bharti, the eldest daughter of former Chief Minister Rabri Devi, who is currently the MP from Patliputra.
“The NDA, on the other hand, stands for preserving and honouring cultural heritage and ensuring all-round development of all states, including Bihar,” asserted the PM, who began his speech by making the crowds chant ‘phir ek baar NDA sarkar’ and ‘phir ek baar susashan sarkar’ (NDA government once again, good governance once again).
“Your parents voted for ending ‘jungle raj’, you have to vote for a prosperous Bihar,” he told the young voters.
Referring to the land for jobs scam, in which the INDIA bloc’s CM candidate Tejashwi Yadav has been named an accused, Modi asked, “Can those who have looted railways, develop connectivity in the state?”
The PM also made a mention of the Golu kidnapping and murder case of 2001, involving the eight-year-old son of a bank employee in Muzaffarpur, which had remained in headlines.
He alleged that during the RJD regime, the Bihar CM’s Office had turned into a haven for mafias.
Without mentioning Champa Biswas by name, he also spoke of “the wife of an IAS officer writing to the then governor of Bihar that she has been raped by leaders of the ruling party”.
