PATNA, Oct 25: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday accused opposition INDIA bloc leaders of treating the Muslim community as a “vote bank” by portraying themselves as their well-wishers.
Kumar claimed that while opposition leaders are using various tactics to secure the votes of the minority community, no efforts are being made to give them any significant representation.
In a post on X, the CM wrote, “When elections are here, some people (leaders of Opposition parties) are again trying to portray themselves as well-wishers of the Muslim community. This is all deception. They consider Muslims as their ‘vote bank’ only.” The CM said in the NDA government, people from the minority community are getting their due representation in every sector.
“Without any discrimination, they are getting proper representation in every field, whereas previous governments used the Muslim community only for votes and gave them no share in power”, Kumar wrote.
I humbly request people belonging to this community not to get themselves trapped into promises offered by them, he said..
“Remember the work we have done for you and then decide whom to vote for. Before 2005, there was no work for people of the Muslim community in the state. Prior to that, communal clashes used to occur frequently in different parts of the state”, the CM stated.
“Since November 24, 2005, when we came to power, steps were taken for the overall development of the Muslim community. In 2025-26, the budget of the Minority Welfare Department was increased 306 times, with a provision of Rs 1080.47 crore annually,” he added.
The chief minister highlighted the measures taken to prevent communal incidents, such as fencing more than 8,000 cemeteries since 2006, with 1,273 additional sites identified for fencing, 746 of which have been completed.
Referring to past incidents of communal violence, Kumar noted that, “When we got the opportunity to serve, the Bhagalpur communal riots of 1989 were investigated, strict action was taken against culprits, and compensation was provided to victims. Additionally, assistance in the form of pensions is being given to families affected by the riots.
Earlier, there used to be so many Hindu-Muslim conflicts, but now there are no such disputes.” After 2006, madrasas were registered and granted recognition by the state government, Kumar said.
“Teachers in madrasas are being paid salaries equivalent to those of government teachers. Furthermore, after 2007, an assistance amount of Rs 10,000 has been provided to abandoned/divorced Muslim women to help them gain employment, which has now been increased to Rs 25,000 per month,” he added.
“Useful schemes like Talimi Markaz and Hunar have been implemented for the Muslim community. Scholarships, free coaching, hostels, grants, and other schemes are being run for students and youth from the Muslim community. The Entrepreneur Scheme is providing benefits to young people to start their own businesses”, the CM wrote.
BIHAR TO DECIDE BETWEEN ‘JUNGLE RAJ’AND DEVELOPMENT: AMIT SHAH
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said this assembly election in Bihar will decide whether ‘jungle raj’ will return or the state remains on the path of development.
Addressing back-to-back election rallies in Khagaria, Munger and Nalanda, he slammed the INDIA bloc for opposing the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, asserting that every infiltrator would be detected, deleted from the voters’ list and deported to their countries.
“Rahul ‘baba’ says that let the infiltrators stay in Bihar. You tell me, should we let the infiltrators stay here? I want to clearly tell Rahul ‘baba’ that no matter how many rallies you lead for the infiltrators, you can not protect them,” Shah said, dubbing the ‘Voter Adhikari Yatra’ as ‘ghuspetiya bachao yatra’.
His allusion was to the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.
Claiming that the NDA will return to power in Bihar, Shah said, “Our government will handpick and throw out every single infiltrator from India… They will be detected and deported to their countries.” He also said this electoral battle is “not about making someone a legislator, minister, or chief minister”.
“This election will decide whether ‘jungle raj’ will return to Bihar or the state remains on the path of development. If the government of Lalu-Rabri is formed, only ‘jungle raj’ will come, and if the NDA comes to power, a developed Bihar will make its mark in the entire country,” Shah claimed.
Asserting that the BJP-led government at the Centre was focusing on development as well as preserving heritage, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi restored Nalanda University’s lost glory, and now even “100 Bakhtiyar Khaljis” could not destroy the centre of learning.
“It is because of PM Modi, the Ram temple was built in Ayodhya. For 550 years, lord Ram had been living in a tent. Lalu, Rahul, Mamata, Mayawati, all opposed the scrapping of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, but PM Modi did it,” he said.
Shah said due to NDA’s good governance, elections are taking place in the state this time in two phases, while during Lalu Prasad’s regime, polls were happening in six phases.
“Next time, elections in Bihar will be held in a single phase…vote for the NDA only,” he appealed to the voters.Shah alleged that the opposition grand alliance has two identities — “corruption and nepotism”. (PTI)
