As campaigning heats up for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections scheduled to be held on November 6, Union Home Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Shah and Janata Dal-United (JD-U) chief minister and supremo Nitish Kumar, both allies in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), on Saturday warned of the return of Rajungle ‘Rajungle’ Janata’ Rajungle. (RJD) came to power.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, the chief ministerial face of the opposition Mahagathbandhan, returned the charge.
Mr. Shah addressed two public meetings in Gopalganj and Samastipur districts, virtually from a hotel in Patna due to inclement weather, while Mr. Kumar reached the public meeting places by road and released a more than three-minute video to the people of the state. “Being a Bihari was a matter of insult”, but after coming to power in 2005, he “served them with honesty and hard work”, Mr Kumar said in the video.
“This election is an opportunity to decide who should be entrusted with the future of Bihar. On one side are those who started ‘Jungle Raj’ in the state, while on the other side is the duo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who brought development to the state,” Mr Shah said in his video address to the city, despite the Minj people at Gopalystead. drizzle.
In his speech, Mr. Shah also recalled the notoriety of Sadhu Yadav, RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s brother-in-law, during the previous RJD regime.
“The people of Gopalganj have never voted for RJD for a long time and I am sure they will maintain this trend. No one knows the misdeeds of Sadhu Yadav better than the people of Gopalganj,” Mr Shah said in his approximately five-minute video speech. In the previous RJD regime, Sadhu Yadav was synonymous with “terror” in the state, he said.
Mr. Sadhu Yadav, who wielded significant influence in the previous RJD regime, won the assembly elections from Gopalganj in 2000; he was elected to the Gopalganj Lok Sabha constituency from 2004-2009 and was twice a member of the State Legislative Council.
Talking about the “lawlessness” under the RJD rule, Mr. Shah also named the villages where caste massacres took place and many lost their lives. “She has focused on the welfare of women and farmers,” Mr. Shah said later, referring to the manifesto released by the NDA on October 31.
“I want to reiterate that there are two main things in the manifesto – Nitish Kumar ji and Prime Minister Narenda Modi have recently deposited ₹10,000 in the accounts of ‘Jeevika Didis’ (a program for socio-economic empowerment of women in rural areas). They will also send up to ₹2,000 annually to all different ways, 0.02 Didis6 to 27 thousand farmers of Bihar and now we will add ₹3,000 more and give them 9 ₹ 000,” said Mr Shah.
All the defunct “sugar factories of the state will be reopened in the next five years”, he announced.
The Union minister later addressed another public meeting at Ujjiyarpur in Samastipur district through video, again highlighting the “jungle paradise” of the past.
Mr. Kumar highlighted the improvements he has made in education, health, roads, electricity, drinking water, agriculture and youth opportunities. “My dear brothers and sister, you have given me an opportunity to serve you since 2005. I want to tell you that the situation in which you got Bihar then was not a favorable one. Being a Bihar was a matter of insult. But since then (2005) I have served you day and night with honesty and hard work,” Being a Bihar who is now respected is not a matter of insult. The NDA campaign in Bihar said so.
“Whether you are Hindu, Muslim, upper caste, backward (class), Dalit or Mahadalit, we have worked for everyone. I have done nothing for my family,” Mr Kumar said in a veiled reference to Mr Lalu Prasad, who had declared his younger son Mr Tejashwi Yadav as his political heir. “Give us one more chance and more work will be done to develop Bihar enough to be among the top states,” Kumar urged voters.
Mr. Tejashwi Yadav was also unable to fly in his helicopter on Saturday due to bad weather. In a telephonic message to the people of Sahebganj in Muzaffarpur and other places, he urged them to “support Mahagathbandhan candidates as I promised work and a corruption-free Bihar”.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Tejashwi Yadav also attacked Mr. Modi over the recent killings in Bihar. “You talk about ‘jungle paradise’ but what about the recent incidents of murders in the state by criminals who are protected by those in power?” an RJD leader said.
Published – 01 Nov 2025 20:51 IST
