Shah promises one factory in every district, metro in Darbhanga

Patna: Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday held a blistering campaign in north Bihar, urging voters to bring the NDA back to power to prevent what he called the return of “jungle raj.”

Addressing multiple rallies in Darbhanga, West Champaran and East Champaran, Shah attacked the RJD, Congress and the INDIA bloc’s chief ministerial face Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, while laying out an expansive development vision for the state.“There is no vacancy for either the PM or CM’s post,” Shah said in Darbhanga, urging voters to “keep jungle raj people away from power.” He promised one factory in every district to generate jobs in Bihar, metro rail in Darbhanga soon and engineering and medical colleges with hospitals in all districts within five years.Referring to past regimes, Shah said in Darbhanga, “RJD and Congress were in power at the Centre for 10 years, and Lalu and Rabri Devi ruled Bihar for fifteen years. What did they ever do for Darbhanga? Nothing. It was Modi ji who initiated the building of AIIMS in Darbhanga.” He announced that Darbhanga will soon get a metro rail, and a 250-bed hospital and industrial innovation centre are being developed in Jale.Highlighting the NDA’s focus on both development and law and order, he said the Modi govt would make the country Maoist-free by March 2026.

“While Modi ji eliminated Naxalism from Bihar, Nitish Kumar’s govt ended jungle raj,” Shah said. “By March next year, Naxalism will be completely wiped out from the entire country,” he added.Shah said two IT parks had already been set up and three more were planned, along with a defence corridor in Bihar. “Now terrorists’ bullets will be answered with shells made in Bihar,” he said in East Champaran.In his speeches, Shah repeatedly invoked the jungle raj years, accusing RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi of glorifying figures such as Shahabuddin.

“They gave a ticket to Shahabuddin’s son Osama in Siwan. This shows they want to bring back jungle raj,” he said.At Sikta in West Champaran, Shah appealed to voters to ensure NDA wins all nine assembly seats in the district, recalling that the alliance had bagged eight in 2020. “Do not vote for those who turned West Champaran into ‘Mini Chambal’,” he said. He also promised to restart closed sugar mills and set up five new ones, adding that all existing mills would be revived.Reaching out to women voters, Shah reaffirmed that the Rs 10,000 credited into Jeevika Didis’ accounts under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojna would not be taken back. “Not even three generations of Lalu’s family can take that money from you,” he said. “After the elections, each woman will get Rs 2 lakh, and the amount given to farmers under the Kisan Samman Yojna will be increased from Rs 6,000 to Rs 9,000.”Shah highlighted the NDA’s industrial road map, mentioning that industrial areas are being developed in Raxaul to generate employment, alongside new small and cottage industries near the India-Nepal border.He announced plans for a state-of-the-art auditorium at Motihari and reaffirmed the NDA’s commitment to establishing a defence corridor in Bihar.At Chakiya under the Pipra assembly constituency in East Champaran, Shah called on voters to support NDA candidates and “build a new, developed Bihar.” The rally saw an enthusiastic turnout, with large numbers of women, youth and children waving NDA flags and raising slogans for victory.(With inputs from Dilip Kumar in Bettiah & C B Pandey in Motihari)