New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the “jungle raj” in Bihar will be discussed for another 100 years and no matter how hard the opposition tries to hide its misdeeds, people will not forgive it.
Training his guns at the RJD-Congress tie-up on a day Tejashwi Yadav was declared the Grand Alliance’s chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Bihar polls, Modi said the opposition alliance is not a “gathbandhan” but a “lathbandhan” (a coalition of criminals) as all its leaders from Delhi and Bihar are out on bail.
Modi asked Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers to ensure that elderly people educate youngsters about the atrocities during the “jungle raj”, an apparent reference to the time when Bihar was under the rule of RJD chief Lalu Prasad.
Addressing the “Mera Booth Sabse Mazboot: Yuva Samvaad” event through audio-conferencing, the prime minister said people will not forget the “jungle raj” in Bihar for another 100 years and no matter how hard the opposition tries to hide its misdeeds, people will not forgive it.
“I would tell all the youngsters in Bihar to gather all the young people at every booth and have the elderly people in that area come and tell everyone about the old stories from the jungle raj,” he said.
Interacting with a BJP worker, Modi said a “mahayagya” of development is going on in the country, with all-round work being carried out due to a stable government at the Centre and in Bihar.
“In Bihar, work is happening in every sector, in every direction. Hospitals are being built, good schools are being established and new railway routes are being developed. A major reason for this is that there is a stable government in the country and in Bihar. When there is stability, development accelerates. This is the strength of Bihar’s NDA government as well,” he said.
“That is why youngsters in Bihar are saying with enthusiasm — ‘raftaar pakad chuka Bihar, phir se NDA sarkar’,” the prime minister said.
He said the Bihar Assembly polls are about writing a new chapter in the history of the state and that youngsters will play a key role in it.
Modi said no one understands the power of people’s votes better than the brothers and sisters of Bihar. He appealed to youngsters in the state to visit every household and request the voters to exercise their franchise.
Modi said a new era in women’s empowerment will begin in Bihar on November 14, when the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is voted back to power.
He asked BJP workers to make a list of the women who are yet to get the benefits of the Chief Minister Mahila Rozgar Yojana and assure them of inclusion.
Modi said the workers of all the NDA constituents should campaign together to raise awareness among the voters about government schemes.
He said the opposition leaders only know how to fight among themselves and how to guard their self interest.
The prime minister also said the government is moving fast towards eradicating Naxalism and Maoist terrorism in Bihar.
There is a need to create technology and start-up hubs in Bihar, he said, adding that youngsters will no longer migrate to other places and earn their livelihood within the state.
“Nitishji and the NDA worked hard to bring Bihar out of the jungle raj and establish the rule of law,” Modi said, adding that Biharis are proud of their identity now.
Exhorting the BJP workers in Bihar ahead of the polls, Modi said, “All of us need to be amongst people 24×7 for the next 20 days.”
Modi asked young BJP workers to connect with the first-time voters of Bihar and tell them about the power of their vote.
Bihar will go to polls in two phases on November 6 and 11. The counting of votes will be taken up on November 14.
The INDIA opposition bloc on Thursday declared Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav its chief ministerial candidate for the Bihar polls.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Veena Nair | 
