PM Modi's Bihar Election Rally: NDA Poised to Break Records Under Nitish Kumar's Leadership

PM Modi addressing his second rally of the day in Begusarai on Friday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off his Bihar assembly election campaign on Friday with consecutive rallies in Samastipur and Begusarai districts, confidently stating that the NDA under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will surpass all previous electoral records.

The Prime Minister mockingly referred to the INDIA bloc as a "mahalathbandhan" (implying a coalition where members fight each other), taking aim at the opposition's "Mahagathbandhan" or grand alliance. He claimed that RJD and Congress leaders, the two major components of the INDIA bloc, were "most corrupt and out on bail." Despite being out of power for decades, Modi accused them of displaying arrogance by sidelining alliance partners like JMM and misleading the Vikassheel Insaan Party, which received an unfavorable seat allocation but whose founder Mukesh Sahni has been promised the deputy CM position.

At both rallies, the Prime Minister instructed attendees to turn on their mobile phone lights, taking a dig at the RJD by saying, "When there is so much light all around, there is no need for the lantern."

Elections for the 243-member Bihar Assembly will be conducted in two phases on November 6 and 11, with results announced on November 14.

During his Samastipur rally, Modi emphasized the NDA's unity in contrast to the INDIA bloc, pointing to the presence of JD(U) president Nitish Kumar, Union Ministers Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi (heads of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Hindustani Awam Morcha respectively), and Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha, leader of Rashtriya Lok Morcha, all sharing the stage.

In Begusarai, Modi brought up the alleged mistreatment of the late Sitaram Kesri, describing him as "the pride of Bihar and a towering backward leader" who was reportedly forced out as Congress president at the behest of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Modi praised Nitish Kumar, who is seeking a fifth consecutive term, while claiming that "nearly a decade of his tenure was hampered by a hostile Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, which was constantly blackmailed by the RJD that it would withdraw support if cooperation was extended to the NDA government in Bihar."

The Prime Minister highlighted that "The central assistance extended to Bihar in the last 11 years is three times what the state had received from the previous government. The state has turned the corner. It is now exporting fish, a far cry from the days when it was dependent on other states for its own needs. Makhana, which is a famous produce of Bihar, has access to markets far and wide."

"Bihar is now an attractive investment destination. I foresee a future in which every district will be teeming with startups of local youths," Modi added.

He emphasized that these developments wouldn't have been possible under 'jungle raj' in Bihar, referencing a former Prime Minister's statement that only 15 paise of every government rupee reached the people. Modi claimed the rest "used to be devoured by a blood-stained hand (khooni panja)," an apparent reference to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and the Congress party symbol.

Modi assured that Bihar would reject 'jungle raj' in favor of good governance and specifically urged women voters, whom he called the "worst sufferers of 'jungle raj'," to "slam your doors shut on Congress and RJD," reminding them that these parties had opposed the women's reservation bill in Parliament.

"'Nayee raftar se chalega Bihar, phir jab aayegi NDA sarkar' (Bihar's growth will speed up once NDA returns to power). RJD and Congress indulged in scams, their leaders are out on bail, and now they are trying to steal the 'Jannayak' title of Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur," he continued.

Modi also addressed the issue of Maoist insurgency, stating that under RJD rule, approximately eighteen districts in Bihar were affected by this problem, resulting in hundreds of deaths. He claimed that since taking power in 2014, he had committed to eliminating Maoism, asserting "with utmost humility and satisfaction" that his government had "broken the spine of Maoism" and would soon rid the entire country of this threat, calling it "PM Modi's guarantee."

The Prime Minister referenced recent electoral successes, noting, "In the last assembly polls in Gujarat, where the party has been in power for 30 years, all previous records were broken. Similar was the case in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Haryana. I am confident that in Bihar, too, under Nitish Kumar, the NDA will break all previous records."

Before the rally, Modi visited Karpoori Gram, the village named after former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur, a backward class leader who was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna approximately two years ago.

Modi thanked the crowds for their attendance "even though the upcoming festival of Chhath must be putting a demand on your time" and made reference to the recent GST rate revisions, remarking, "Hope you all are enjoying the festival of savings (bachat-utsav), too."