Taraiya, Saran: On the final day for filing nominations for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed a massive gathering in Taraiya, Saran, launching a scathing critique against the Opposition and cementing the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) campaign theme of “liberation from Jungle Raj.”
Shah centered his speech on the dangers of returning the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to power, specifically leveraging the RJD’s candidate list. “Shahabuddin’s son’s name is on the RJD candidate list, so understand… if you make a mistake, Jungle Raj will return,” the Home Minister cautioned the crowd. He urged the public to place their trust in the NDA leadership to prevent the return of the era associated with the Lalu-Rabri regimes of two decades ago.
“If the election campaign begins in Saran, victory is inevitable,” Shah stated confidently. “If we want to pledge to fight against Lalu’s Jungle Raj, and remind the youth of Bihar how Lalu and Rabri held Bihar together 20 years ago, there’s no better place than Chhapra.”
Confidence in Nitish’s Leadership
While fiercely criticizing the RJD, Shah simultaneously delivered a powerful endorsement of the current NDA leadership, predicting a historic win for the coalition led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Bihar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi nationally.
“The NDA is going to form the government in Bihar with the biggest majority in 20 years,” Shah declared. He credited Nitish Kumar’s 20-year tenure with having “liberated Bihar from the jungle raj” and presented the current fight as a continuation of that legacy.
The Four Diwalis Analogy
In a highly symbolic appeal to the festive season and religious sentiment, the Home Minister framed the upcoming election as the climax of a season of celebration for the people of Bihar—the “fourth Diwali.”
He listed the four reasons for the state to celebrate:
- The return of Lord Shri Ram to Ayodhya after his exile.
- The recent transfer of Rs 10,000 to the accounts of every Jeevika Didi in Bihar by the Nitish-Modi governments, ensuring funds for Chhath Puja and Diwali.
- The reduction of GST tax on 395 essential items.
- The final, major celebration on November 14, when the votes are counted and “Lalu and Rahul will be wiped out.”
Shah concluded by challenging the people of Saran to “celebrate the fourth Diwali” by ensuring a clean sweep for the NDA across all 10 seats in the region.
