Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday described the upcoming Bihar Assembly election as a campaign for the BJP to drive out infiltrators.
He promised that if party workers ensured a two-thirds majority for the NDA, the government would identify and expel infiltrators one by one.
Addressing around 5,000 BJP workers gathered from nine districts at Forbesganj in Araria district, Shah linked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ to the issue of infiltration. He claimed that Rahul Gandhi remembered to undertake the Yatra only after the Election Commission began tightening its oversight.
“Rahul Gandhi wants infiltrators to have voting rights. He launched a Yatra to protect them. But for the BJP, this election is about removing infiltrators from Bihar and the rest of the country. We will identify and expel them, one by one,” Shah said.
Shah said people in Bihar would celebrate four Diwalis. Apart from the traditional Diwali, the state had reason to celebrate when Prime Minister Narendra Modi transferred Rs10,000 each into the accounts of Jeevika Didis and when the GST Council reduced prices on 350 items.
“The fourth Diwali would be celebrated when the NDA wins more than 160 seats and forms the next government in Bihar,” he added.
The Union Minister was on a two-day visit to Bihar to sharpen the BJP’s election strategy. During the trip, he held a series of meetings with party leaders and addressed divisional-level worker conferences in Samastipur, Araria, and Bettiah.
Energising the party cadre, Shah said the real strength of the BJP lies in its workers. “With their dedication and effort, the BJP will come to power in Bihar by winning more than 160 seats,” he said.
He also gave party workers a special 50-day task to spread awareness about BJP’s policies and government schemes. He asked them to visit temples and honour priests, interact with Jeevika Didis (women involved in Bihar’s Jeevika mission), and communicate directly with beneficiaries of government schemes during Diwali.
Earlier, Shah chaired a strategy meeting at the BJP state office in Patna, focusing on organisational strengthening, candidate selection, and overall election preparedness. The meeting was attended by BJP National General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santosh, Bihar Assembly Election In-Charge and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Bihar In-Charge Vinod Tawde, State BJP President Dilip Jaiswal, along with several ministers, MPs, MLAs, and senior party officials.