Bhagalpur/Patna: Former Union minister Anurag Thakur launched a fierce attack on the opposition during a Yuva Samvad programme organised by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha in Bhagalpur, warning that Bihar would not return to what he called the “Jungle Raj” of Lalu Prasad’s rule.
Addressing the gathering at the Town Hall, Thakur alleged that under Lalu Prasad, women were unsafe, corruption was rampant and even “fodder for cows, buffaloes and chickens was not spared” in reference to the fodder scam. He described Lalu as the “Sardar of Jungle Raj” who failed to prioritise education for his son Tejashwi Yadav.
Turning his fire on Congress, Thakur ridiculed Rahul Gandhi for leading his party to “90 election defeats” and mocked his alliance with Tejashwi Yadav, whom he described as “Navami fail”. He told the audience that the people of Bihar would once again “make the lotus bloom” by electing the NDA.
He accused the RJD of an “employment model” based on “extortion, kidnapping and looting” and criticised its dynastic politics. Referring to affidavits in the 2020 election, he joked about how Tejashwi Yadav was described as “bada” (big) and his elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav as “chhota” (small).
Contrasting NDA rule with the RJD era, Thakur said that while a 16-day political tour across Bihar is possible today due to improved roads, it would have taken four months during Lalu’s rule “because then there were no roads, only potholes”.
Highlighting the NDA’s record, he claimed that the government had delivered more than 11 lakh jobs against a promise of 10 lakh, and set a new target of one crore jobs. He credited chief minister Nitish Kumar for Bihar’s progress towards becoming a developed state.
Thakur said the Yuva Samvad was aimed at encouraging young people to contribute to nation building and self-reliance, arguing that their participation would enable India to play a greater role on the world stage.
