A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashing out at the RJD and the Congress, making ‘jungle raj’ of the Lalu era his focal point, BJP President JP Nadda’s focus on Saturday at his Nalanda rally in Bihar was jobs, developmental projects and work done during the lockdown.
Talking about jobs, something that concerns young voters and has been used for electoral promises both by RJD and the LJP, Nadda said, “There will be self-sufficient Bihar through self-sufficient India. It is the responsibility of the government to create employment opportunities in Bihar and NDA’s Nitish government will do the work to provide employment to 19 lakh people”.
Nadda also made an attempt to blur caste lines by presenting development and jobs as a unifying factor. “Previously in elections, candidates used to ask for votes on the basis of caste and class. Narendra Modi has changed the tempo, character and culture of Indian politics. Now, if anyone wants to ask for votes, then he or she needs to present the work done and on the basis of that a report card,” said Nadda, while addressing a crowd at Bihar Sharif in Bihar’s Nalanda district.
He added that ever since the Modi government came to power, 11 medical colleges have opened in the state. He also cited the extension of Railway lines and roads. He added that it is Nitish Kumar who can take Bihar “on path of development”.
However, Nadda did not skip mentioning law and order during the era of Lalu Prasad, whose son Tejashwi is now the CM face of the Cong-RJD alliance. “There is anarchy in the nature of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, even once they have not apologised to the people of Bihar for their mistakes. This means that the motives are still the same,” alleged Nadda.
However, Nadda wanted his address to centre around the future of Bihar rather than its past. Probably that’s why he remarked, “The election of Bihar is not just the election of leaders but the election of Bihar is the election of your future.”
While the RJD has promised 10 lakh jobs, the LJP which decided to go solo has been harping on the issue of ‘Bihar first, Bihari first’ appealing to mainly first-time voters and the young and restless in the state.