Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that leaders of the grand alliance in Bihar comprising the Janata Dal-United, Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress were playing the “politics of opportunism”.
“The same people who talk about Jayaprakash Narayan have sided with the Congress, which arrested him (during Emergency). They are practising the politics of opportunism,” the prime minister said while addressing the first of his four scheduled rallies in Bihar’s Munger district on Thursday.
He will address three more rallies in Begusarai, Samastipur and Nawada districts later.
“The Congress had turned the country into a jail (during Emergency). J.P. Narayan had the courage to even fight death. He sacrificed his life for the country. He inspired a whole new generation of youth in the country,” Modi said.
Modi said the Bihar elections were a fight between ‘jungle raj’ and ‘vikas raj’ and that the people would vote for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance to stop the return of ‘jungle raj’ in the state.
“For the first time, the Bihar elections will be fought on the issues of development and youth. The youth of Bihar will change the state’s destiny. We will change the fortune of Bihar,” he added.
Modi said the biggest manifestation of the ‘jungle raj’ was the high rate of crime, fear and kidnappings. “Do you want kidnappings to return and do you want the ‘jungle raj’ to return to the state,” he asked.
He targeted Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad, saying that “for the last 25 years, the big brother and the younger brother have ruled and ruined Bihar”.
“Do you want them to come to power again? They didn’t provide electricity as promised and yet they come asking for votes,” the prime minister said.