DARBHANGA/SAMASTIPUR/BEGUSARAI, Oct 29: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday attacked the INDIA bloc, alleging that RJD supremo Lalu Prasad wants to make his son Tejashwi the chief minister of Bihar and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi her son Rahul the PM, while asserting that “both posts were not vacant”.
Addressing back-to-back public rallies in Darbhanga, Samastipur and Begusarai, Shah also questioned whether the members of radical outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), who were arrested after the Centre banned the organisation, would remain behind bars if the Congress-RJD combine came to power in Bihar. “The BJP has given tickets to many youngsters for the Bihar assembly polls, like Maithili Thakur, who does not have any political background, but the RJD and Congress have not, as Lalu ji wants to make his son Tejashwi the chief minister and Sonia ji wants her son Rahul to be the PM… but I want to let them know that both posts are not vacant,” he said.
Shah termed the Mahagathbandhan as ‘thug bandhan’, alleging that Lalu Prasad is involved in fodder, bitumen and land-for-jobs scams, while Congress was involved in corruption cases worth Rs 12 lakh crore. On the other hand, there has not been a single allegation of corruption against Modi and Kumar, he said.
The home minister asserted that it was the NDA government that banned PFI. “PFI operatives were active in Patna’s Phulwari Sharif. Searches were conducted across the country and members of the organisation were put behind bars. Do you think that the PFI members will remain in prison if the RJD-Congress combine comes to power in Bihar?” he questioned.
Shah attacked the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, saying that the latter came to Bihar a few months ago and launched ‘save infiltrators yatra’, while referring to Voter Adhikar Yatra.
“Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Prasad want to ensure that names of infiltrators remain in the voter list… Tejashwi and Rahul want to bring back ‘jungle raj’ in Bihar,” he alleged, adding that “we will not allow this to happen”.
“The Bihar polls are an election to prevent the return of ‘jungle raj’ to the state. The NDA in the state is like ‘paanch paandav’—a strong alliance of five parties. The INDIA bloc will be routed and we will form the government after registering a historic victory this time,” he asserted.
“The NDA in Bihar has the leadership of Nitish ji, Chirag Paswan’s youthful enthusiasm, Jitan Ram Manjhi’s lifelong experience and of course the support of Upendra Kushwaha ji,” he added.
Shah alleged that the INDIA bloc wants to snatch the title of ‘Jannayak’ of former chief minister Karpoori Thakur. “Modi ji bestowed Bharat Ratna upon Jannayak Karpoori Thakur. Now, they (opposition) want to take away the title from Karpoori ji. We will not let this happen. People have seen the real face of Congress that had prevented Babu Jagjivan Ram from becoming the PM,” he alleged.
“Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi did nothing for Bihar’s development… Mahagathbandhan cannot think of the state’s development and welfare of its youth,” Shah alleged. (PTI)
