RJD-Congress wiped out after first phase polling, says Amit Shah

Patna, Nov 7 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday claimed that the NDA is headed for a sweeping victory in Bihar after the first phase of polling.

Addressing a rally in Jamui district, HM Shah said the RJD and Congress have been wiped out in the very first phase of voting.

“The first phase took place yesterday. Lalu Prasad and Rahul Gandhi’s party has been wiped out. They should not even be able to open their account in Jamui,” the Home Minister told the gathering.

He urged voters to ensure that all four seats in the district go to the NDA. HM Shah said the return of jungle raj was being attempted by some people in different clothes and with a changed face and cautioned voters not to deviate even slightly from the NDA’s poll symbols.

Referring to Maoist violence in the past, the Union Minister said there was a time when Jamui and neighbouring districts were marked by Naxal influence and cited the hijacking of the Dhanbad–Patna Express and killing three passengers.

He asserted that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, Bihar has become free from Naxalism and said that voting hours have now been extended till 5 p.m. in areas which earlier used to close polling at 3 p.m. due to security concerns.

HM Shah also said that Chormara village on the Munger–Jamui border has become Naxal-free after 25 years.

The Home Minister also alleged that during the Lalu–Rabri government, incidents of extortion, kidnappings for ransom and caste massacres had taken place, and claimed that more than 35 massacres occurred in that period.

“This rule of the jungle shut down Bihar’s factories and businesses and pushed the state towards poverty. But Nitish Kumar has ended the rule of the jungle,” he said.

He said that in the last 10 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had initiated development works across Bihar, citing roads, bridges, power projects, as well as sugarcane, ethanol and fertiliser units.

“The next five years are the five years to make Bihar developed,” Shah said.

The Union Home Minister also referred to the Ayodhya Ram temple dispute, saying the original temple was demolished “550 years ago” and alleging that Mughal, British and later Congress and Lalu Prasad Yadav dispensations had obstructed its construction. He said that after Narendra Modi returned as Prime Minister in 2019, the ground-breaking ceremony was held in the same year, and the temple was consecrated in 2024.

HM Shah further said Sita was born in Bihar and cited the foundation stone-laying ceremony for a proposed temple at Punoura Dham in Sitamarhi, which he said would cost Rs 850 crore and be completed in two years.

He alleged that the RJD and Congress were opposing the temple project.

“No matter how much they oppose it, we -- the BJP and the NDA -- will build a grand temple of Mother Sita,” he said.

--IANS

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