Congress posts three questions for PM Modi ahead of his Bihar rally

New Delhi: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bihar on Sunday, Congress accused the NDA government of horse trading, asking how much the change in government in Bihar earlier this year cost the people of the country and sought his stance over the delay in the appointments of teachers.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X, “Today, the Prime Minister heads to Nawada in Bihar – the state where the BJP orchestrated its latest government collapse. While they have excelled at forcing their way into power, the BJP’s governance has left much to be desired.”

Jairam Ramesh also posed three questions for PM Modi as the latter is all set to address a public rally in Bihar as part of his election campaign at 11 am on Sunday.

He alleged that the ruling BJP party does not hesitate to topple governments or use ‘ill-gotten electoral bonds chanda’ to buy and sell MLAs in desperate bids to cling to power.

“They might have renamed Race Course Road but the BJP continues to bet on horse-trading. Given the BJP’s lack of respect for the democratic values enshrined in our constitution, no government has been safe from their political manipulations. They do not hesitate to topple governments or use their ill-gotten electoral bonds chanda to buy and sell MLAs in their desperate bids to cling to power – as was evident when Nitish Kumar flip-flopped once again earlier this year. We now know that the #ElectoralBondsScam cost Indian citizens Rs. 4 lakh crores – the question is how much did the change in Government in Bihar cost the people of India?” the Congress leader asked.

Nitish Kumar took the oath as Chief Minister of Bihar for the ninth time in Raj Bhawan, Patna, switching sides again, this time with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in January this year. It was for the second time in two years that Nitish Kumar had jumped the ship, his fifth crossover in a little over a decade.

He further questioned Bihar’s Warisaliganj sugar mill, which had not operated for the last ten years.

“When the PM visited Nawada before the 2014 election, he raised the issue of the Warisaliganj Sugar Mill, asking why it had remained defunct for the last ten years. This raised the hopes of thousands of locals as the mill directly employed 1200 workers and additionally supported hundreds of sugarcane farmers. Both BJP MPs from Nawada, Giriraj Singh (2014) and Chandan Singh (2019) also promised to start sugar mills during their tenure. Ten years later, all those promises have turned up empty. When the PM visits Nawada this time, he must answer the people – why has the Warisaliganj Sugar Mill remained defunct for the last ten years?” the Congress leader said.

Claiming that delays in teacher appointments in the state have shrunk the number of active teachers to an abysmal 35 per cent of the sanctioned number, Jairam Ramesh asked what the BJP government is doing to secure the livelihoods of Bihar’s teachers.

“The state of public education in Bihar has gone from bad to worse in recent years. Thousands of teachers and retired college employees are up in arms because they have not been paid their dues. Delays in teacher appointments have shrunk the number of active teachers to an abysmal 35 per cent of the sanctioned number,” he said.

“Most recently, guest teachers in Patna took to the streets to protest their abrupt termination, and instead of listening to their concerns, the BJP government had them lathi-charged…Does the PM have anything to say for the sorry state of affairs in Bihar education? What is the BJP government doing to secure the livelihoods of Bihar’s teachers?” he asked further.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said a massive wave of BJP-NDA is being seen once again in Bihar.

“Once again, a massive wave of BJP-NDA is being seen in Bihar. I will have the opportunity to meet my family members who are excited about voting in the public meeting in Nawada,” the PM Modi said in a post on X.

Bihar will see polling in seven phases. The first phase of polling will be held on April 19, the second phase on April 26, the third phase on May 7, the fourth phase on May 13, the fifth phase on May 20, the sixth phase on May 25, and the seventh phase on June 1.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the NDA, consisting of BJP, JDU (Janata Dal-United), and LJP (Lok Janshakti Party), secured victory by taking the lead on 39 out of 40 seats. Meanwhile, the Mahagathbandhan, led by RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal), INC (Indian National Congress), and RLSP (Rashtriya Lok Samta Party), only managed to secure one seat.