A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “dance for vote” remark, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at the RJD and Congress leaders, accusing them of belittling a major religious observance, adding that they have been “shamelessly saying that the Chhath Puja is just drama and theatrics. Such people should be punished.”
Addressing an election rally in Muzaffarpur on Thursday, Modi said, “Women who observe long fasts, stand in the Ganges, and offer prayers to the Sun God—in the eyes of RJD and Congress, they are doing drama. Will the mothers and sisters of Bihar tolerate this insult to Chhathi Maiya? I know that no person in Bihar can ever forget this insult.”
The Prime Minister said that the RJD, the Congress, and their INDIA bloc partners have always insulted Bihar and its people. He recalled that a Congress Chief Minister from Punjab once openly declared at a rally that he would not allow people from Bihar to enter Punjab. He said that in Karnataka, Congress leaders keep abusing Bihar, and in Tamil Nadu, DMK leaders harass the hardworking people of Bihar.
Targeting Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav, Modi said, “Yesterday, both of them hurled abuses at Modi to their heart’s content. These ‘Naamdars’ (‘entitled’ people) will always abuse a ‘Kaamdar’ (worker) like me. They think it’s their birthright to insult Dalits and backward people. That’s why they keep insulting me 24 hours a day. They can’t tolerate that someone from a poor, backward family, who once sold tea, has reached here today.”
Recalling the lawlessness during the RJD regime in Bihar, Modi said, “When we remember the days of jungle raj, we realise how dangerous the situation was. During RJD’s rule, incidents like kidnappings were common across Bihar. Around 35,000 to 40,000 kidnappings took place during their tenure. Today’s youth can hardly imagine how terrifying those days were.”
He asserted that the RJD never cared for the cries of grieving parents back then, and even today, they remain indifferent to the happiness or sorrow of the people.
The Prime Minister said that the RJD and the Congress can be identified by five things—‘katta’ (guns), ‘krurta’ (cruelty), ‘katuta’ (bitterness), ‘kushasan’ (misgovernance), and corruption. “RJD and Congress can never develop Bihar. These parties ruled Bihar for years, but all they gave you was betrayal,” he said.
Modi added, “Bihar has seen the good governance of the BJP-NDA. Empowering women has always been our priority. I assure you, we will not stop here. When the NDA government returns, we will further support these women so they can expand their work even more.”