A surge in voter participation in the first phase of the Bihar assembly elections signalled a renewed endorsement of the Narendra Modi-Nitish Kumar leadership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday while addressing rallies in Aurangabad and Bhabhua. The NDA, he asserted, was poised for a decisive victory in the poll-bound state.
Modi praised the Election Commission for managing voting across 121 constituencies and said the high turnout reflected public confidence in the alliance’s governance. “Yesterday, the voters of Bihar broke all records… It is evident that they all have trust in the track record of Narendra-Nitish,” he said, crediting women voters for pushing the turnout to nearly 65 per cent.
He contrasted the ruling coalition’s record with that of the RJD-led opposition, accusing it of making “false promises” and claiming even the Congress, its ally, was not convinced of the RJD’s commitments. Without naming INDIA bloc Chief Ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav, Modi said, “The crown prince of jungle raj gets tongue tied whenever he is asked what are his plans for fulfilling the bogus promises he has been making”.
Modi said voters did not wish to see a return of the era he described as ‘jungle raj’, which he associated with violence, Naxal influence, and fears of lawlessness during elections. Referring to a controversial RJD campaign video, he remarked, “The jungle raj wallahs have taught even children to speak of things like katta and dunaali”.
According to the Prime Minister, the opposition’s symbols-lantern, palm and red flags represented deterrents to investment and job creation. He suggested attempts had been made to “create mischief” during polling but lauded the Election Commission for orderly conduct.
Modi also defended Nitish Kumar’s long tenure, saying the Chief Minister had been impeded in his early years by what he called the Congress-led UPA’s non-cooperation. “They tried to take revenge on the people of Bihar,” he alleged.
Also read: Bihar Phase 1 polling: 64.44% turnout, highest in last 3 polls
Reiterating his own record, he said, “I do what I promise”, citing the construction of the Ram temple, the abrogation of Article 370 and Operation Sindoor. Addressing a region with a significant number of armed forces personnel, Modi highlighted the implementation of the one rank one pension scheme, saying it had resulted in Rs one lakh crore being transferred to ex-servicemen. “The RJD people might not even know how many zeros are in one lakh crore,” he quipped.
He also attacked the opposition over the land-for-jobs case involving RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and his family, saying, “They made people do away with their land while promising jobs. Now they are out on bail.”
Modi accused the Congress and RJD of engaging in a “politics of insults”, saying they had disrespected religious sentiments by remarks on Chhath and the Maha Kumbh. Urging voters to respond on November 11, when the second phase of polling takes place, he said, “You must punish them.”
He further criticised the opposition for what he called appeasement politics, alleging they were “seeking rights for infiltrators”. Without naming Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, he said, “Their Chief Minister in Telangana is in news… you can see the writing on the wall.”
Modi concluded by accusing the Congress of attempting to sideline Dalit leaders, including Babasaheb Ambedkar, Babu Jagjivan Ram and Sitaram Kesri, alleging it acted against those whose stature “grew bigger than the royal dynasty”.
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