Jamui: Home minister Amit Shah warned voters on Friday that “jungle raj” would return to Bihar if they turned away from the NDA’s symbols, as he addressed a charged election rally in Jamui ahead of the second phase of polling.
Shah told the gathering that Jamui, once synonymous with Naxal violence, had undergone a dramatic transformation under the current government. “There was a time when this land was soaked in red terror. Jamui, Gaya and Aurangabad were ruled by Naxalites,” he said, recalling the hijacking of the Dhanbad–Patna Express and the killing of three passengers by extremists.
The home minister claimed the Modi administration had “completely eradicated Naxalism from Bihar”, adding that villages such as Chormara on the Munger–Jamui border had become Naxal-free after 25 years. “Earlier there were districts where voting ended at 3pm out of fear. Now polling goes on till 5pm, because that fear no longer exists,” he said.
In a sharp attack on the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Shah cautioned voters that “even the slightest mistake” could bring back lawlessness. “If you move away from the lotus or the arrow, jungle raj will return. Does Jamui want jungle raj?” he asked the crowd.
Shah said the first phase of polling had “wiped out” the alliance of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rahul Gandhi, urging voters to ensure the RJD failed to open its account in Jamui. “All four seats here must go to the NDA,” he declared.
He also revived long-standing criticisms of the Lalu-Rabri era, alleging widespread kidnappings, extortion and the collapse of industry. “In those days, wedding processions were stopped at gunpoint and ransom became routine. More than twenty massacres took place. Factories shut, businesses died and Bihar was pushed into poverty,” Shah said.
The second phase of the Bihar assembly elections will continue amid heightened political rhetoric as parties compete for control of key constituencies like Jamui.
