‘Bail-bound leaders’ tried hard to inject ‘poison of caste division’, people completely rejected it in Bihar polls: PM Modi

SURAT(Gujarat): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on RJD and Congress leaders, accusing them of spreading the rhetoric of caste politics and said people of Bihar completely rejected “poison of caste division”.

Addressing a gathering at Surat airport, PM Modi slammed Rahul Gandhi over the Bihar poll results, saying a large segment of the Congress party, is fed up “with ‘naamdaar’s’ actions”.

The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar swept the polls, winning 202 of 243 seats.

“In Bihar, during public events, land was illegally occupied and houses were seized, which were converted into Waqf properties. We saw that in Tamil Nadu, thousands of year-old villages were converted into Waqf properties… Only then did we pass a law in Parliament regarding Waqf. During the Bihar elections, these ‘jamanati’, ‘naamdaar’, and their allies publicly tore up the Waqf Act and declared that if they won, they would not allow the Waqf Act to be implemented. The people of Bihar have completely rejected this communal poison, following the path of development,” he said.

“This Muslim League Maoist Congress party, the MMC, has been rejected by the country. A large segment of the Congress party, including those deeply rooted in nationalist ideals and those who once served under the leadership of figures like Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, is fed up with this ‘naamdaar’s’ actions,” he added.

PM Modi said that the Congress does not have an explanation for its defeat in Bihar and and blames EVMs or the SIR process.

“They say no one can save the Congress party; this is the state it has reached… This is a matter of serious introspection for them. They can’t even explain the reasons for their defeat to their own colleagues. Therefore, they have taken the easy route. Sometimes the EVM defeats them, sometimes the Election Commission defeats them, sometimes the voter list purification defeats them,” he said.

“For the past two years, these ‘bail-bound leaders’ kept running around Bihar, spreading the rhetoric of caste politics. They tried hard to inject the poison of caste division. But in this election, the people of Bihar completely rejected that poison,” he added.

He alleged that Congress is not providing opportunities to its young leaders to speak in parliament.

“When we meet young Congress members or INDIA alliance members in the Parliament, they say, ‘Sir, what can we do? Our careers are coming to an end. We don’t even get a chance to speak in Parliament because these people keep saying, ‘Lock Parliament,’ every time.’ They’re unable to answer their own constituencies,” he said.

“The state elections that followed the Lok Sabha elections, in all those, Congress was in a dire state. We won more MLAs in Bihar yesterday than the Congress won in these five or six states combined,” he added.

PM Modi lambasted the Mahagathbandhan and said there is a 10 per cent difference between the two alliances, and voters cast their ballot on the issue of development.

“In this election, there’s a 10 per cent vote difference between the victorious NDA alliance and the defeated Mahagathbandhan. This is a significant amount. This means that the average voter voted one way, and on what issue? Development. The yearning for development in Bihar today is palpable,” PM Modi said.

“Bihar is famous worldwide today. Go anywhere in the world, and you’ll find Bihar’s talent. Bihar is now showing a willingness to reach new heights in development. This election reflected that willingness. Bihar’s women and youth formed a combination that strengthened the foundation of politics for decades to come. Those who analyse politics will take months to analyse the implications of Bihar’s election results,” he added.

PM Modi said people from Bihar living in Surat were closely monitoring the polls held in the state.”My brothers and sisters living in Surat were closely monitoring this election. The people of Bihar don’t need to be taught politics. They have the power to teach politics to the rest of the world,” he said.

“Today, the hunger for development in Bihar is visible everywhere. I remember how, during Covid, people across the country were returning to their homes. At that time, I had the chance to interact with people from Bihar, and many of them used that difficult period to start their own businesses. This is the true strength of the people of Bihar. Wherever you go in the world, you will always find Bihar’s talent shining through,” he added.

The NDA’s ‘tsunami’ swept away the opposition Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, with the BJP emerging as the single-largest party with 89 seats, and the Janata Dal (United) finishing a close second with 85. The other allies of the ruling coalition also registered high strike rates.

The parties of the Mahagathbandhan, including the RJD and Congress, suffered significant setbacks, and Jan Suraaj, which had hoped for an impressive debut after its founder, Prashant Kishor, conducted an extensive campaign, failed to open its account.

The ruling NDA got 202 seats, a three-fourths majority in the 243-member House. This is the second time the NDA has crossed the 200-mark in the assembly polls. In the 2010 polls, it had won 206 seats.

In the NDA, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 89 seats, Janata Dal (United) won 85, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) (LJPRV) won 19, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) (HAMS) won five, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha won four seats.

In Mahagathbandhan, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won 25 seats, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation) – CPI(ML)(L) – two, Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) – one and Communist Party of India (Marxist) – CPI(M) one seat.

All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) won five seats, and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) got one seat. (ANI)