The election battlefield has heated up in Bihar. Giving a sharper edge to the campaign on the last day of the first phase of election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched a sharp attack on the opposition and described the Grand Alliance as ‘a symbol of the return of Jungle Raj’. Rahul Gandhi retaliated by calling Nitish Kumar a “remote controlled Chief Minister” of BJP.
Crowds gathered at BJP-NDA rallies from Darbhanga to Samastipur and Aurangabad. While talking to women workers of NDA, Prime Minister Modi said that an unprecedented number of women are coming to the rallies this time – “I have full confidence that NDA will have a massive victory in Bihar. Our mothers and sisters will never let the atrocities and insecurity of ‘Lalu era’ return again.” She called upon women activists to ensure “maximum turnout”.
Read this also: ‘Yuvraj’ raising questions on Chhath Maiya! Yogi accuses Rahul of anti-faith politics
On the other hand, Union Home Minister Amit Shah thundered in Darbhanga that, “If even the slightest mistake is made on November 6, murder, robbery, kidnapping and extortion will again become the identity of Bihar.” Shah appealed to the public to “press the ‘Kamal’ button to stop the return of Lalu-Rabri’s Jungle Raj.” Announcing an investment of Rs 26,000 crore for the development of Mithilanchal, he said that “from flood control to irrigation from Kosi water, now Bihar will become self-reliant.”
On the other hand, in Samastipur, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath made a direct attack on the opposition and said, “Now in Bihar too, the mafia will be bulldozed and their property will be distributed among the poor. This is true justice.” Yogi said that Bihar has to be made a land of knowledge again – “The NDA government has established an excellent balance of development and heritage.”
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said in Vaishali, “There is not a single allegation of corruption against Nitish Kumar. His honesty over the years has become the hallmark of good governance in Bihar.” He said that “during the UPA government, Bihar had received only Rs 2 lakh crore, whereas the Modi government has given Rs 15 lakh crore in ten years.”
On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi described Nitish Kumar as BJP’s ‘hostage’ in Aurangabad and said, “Now Nitish ji’s government will never be formed in Bihar. Modi and Shah change the channel with remote, Nitish does only what the order comes from Delhi.” Rahul accused the BJP of a conspiracy of ‘vote theft’ and said that “Modi talks about reels and drugs to divert the youth from unemployment.”
However, the politics of Bihar is once again at its decisive point. On one side is Modi-Shah-Yogi-Rajnath’s mantra of “development, good governance and faith”, while on the other side is Rahul Gandhi’s allegation of “vote theft and remote control”. Now it remains to be seen on whose ‘button’ the public reposes faith on 6th November – on ‘Kamal’ or on the return of the ‘Grand Alliance’.