Samastipur/Begusarai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched the NDA’s Bihar assembly campaign with back-to-back rallies in Samastipur and Begusarai, asserting that the alliance led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will surpass all previous electoral milestones. He urged supporters to ready for a decisive mandate, framing the contest as a choice for stability and development.
Targeting the opposition, Modi mocked the INDIA bloc as a “mahalathbandhan,” and alleged that its key constituents the RJD and the Congress were “most corrupt and out on bail.” He accused them of slighting allies like the JMM and “taking for a ride” the Vikassheel Insaan Party, noting that while VIP did not get a favourable seat share, its chief Mukesh Sahni has been promised the deputy CM’s post.
At both venues, Modi asked attendees to switch on their phone lights, quipping that when there is light everywhere “there is no need for the lantern,” in a swipe at the RJD’s symbol. The 243-seat Bihar Assembly votes in two phases on November 6 and 11, with counting on November 14.
Showcasing NDA unity in Samastipur, Modi pointed to JD(U) president Nitish Kumar, Union ministers Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha on stage as proof of a cohesive coalition. In Begusarai, he revisited the alleged mistreatment of former Congress president Sitaram Kesri, calling him “the pride of Bihar” and blaming the “parivaar” for ousting him.
Praising Nitish Kumar, who is seeking a fifth straight term, Modi said the chief minister’s early years were hampered by a Congress-led UPA at the Centre that was “blackmailed” by the RJD over cooperation with Bihar. He claimed central assistance to Bihar in the past 11 years was triple that of the previous government, highlighting improved fish exports and wider markets for makhana as indicators of change.
Positioning Bihar as an investment hub, Modi said he envisions every district buzzing with startups led by local youth. He warned against a return to “jungle raj,” recalling the late Rajiv Gandhi’s line about only 15 paise of every rupee reaching people, and used “khooni panja” to allude to the Congress symbol.
Appealing to women voters whom he called the “worst sufferers of jungle raj” Modi urged them to “shut your doors” on the Congress and RJD, reminding the audience that these parties opposed the women’s reservation bill in Parliament. He led the crowd with the slogan, “Nayee raftar se chalega Bihar, phir jab aayegi NDA sarkar,” and accused the RJD and Congress of scams, saying their leaders are out on bail and are now trying to appropriate the “Jannayak” legacy of Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur.
On security, Modi said around a dozen-and-a-half Bihar districts were once affected by Maoism and claimed his government had “broken the spine” of insurgency since 2014, pledging a nationwide end to the menace as “Modi’s guarantee.” Citing record-breaking mandates in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Haryana, he expressed confidence the NDA will set new benchmarks in Bihar under Nitish Kumar.
Earlier, the Prime Minister visited Karpoori Gram, named after former CM Karpoori Thakur, who was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna. He thanked the crowds for turning up despite Chhath preparations and referenced the recent GST rate revision as a “festival of savings.”