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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, addressing the BJP state working committee in Patna on Wednesday, accused the RJD and Congress of pushing Bihar into an era of “darkness” marked by crime, casteism and misrule.
“In Laluji’s jungle raj, this land became a laboratory for crime and terror. Where once the Constitution’s voice was heard, the sound of gunfire echoed instead,” Singh said, adding, “RJD’s lantern, which was supposed to bring light, ended up setting people’s homes on fire instead of illuminating them.”
“Bihar is not inherently backward, but was deliberately kept backward,” the Union minister said.
He also accused the RJD and Congress of having used “power as a tool for serving their own families, not the people”.
On RJD president Lalu Prasad’s time as Bihar chief minister, Singh said, “Laluji gave Bihar fear, corruption, and the rule of strongmen… Was that era, where caste replaced education and jobs were traded for favours, a paradise?… Only a handful of musclemen and their loyal officers had the right to speak, while the voices of the poor, Dalits and backward classes were crushed. Kidnapping cases were settled in government bungalows.”
“We keep talking about the past so that people don’t get fooled by the glib talk of the RJD and Congress. The same mindset, the same corruption that pushed Bihar into darkness for years, is now standing before us in a new form,” the Defence Minister said.
Referring to a controversy at Lalu Prasad’s birthday event, where an RJD worker was seen holding Dr B R Ambedkar’s picture near his feet, Singh said, “This was not a simple mistake but reflects a mindset that has no respect for Dalit icons.”
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Further accusing Lalu of “hypocrisy”, he said, “While Lalu Prasad was in power, he never bothered to do anything in the memory of Karpoori Thakur. It was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who conferred the Bharat Ratna on this great son of Bihar… Only the BJP and the NDA can truly carry forward Karpoori Thakur’s legacy.”
Highlighted the NDA’s achievements in Bihar under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Singh said, “The period did not just see economic growth, Bihar also began regaining its lost glory.” He recalled that Bihar was once called “the armpit of India”, but now, “The world is taking note of its turnaround story.”
Terming the Opposition’s dream of returning to power as “fantasy”, Singh said, “The people of Bihar are now awake and politically aware. Casteism will not work here anymore. Only development will prevail.”
English (US) ·