Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha waves at the audience during the rally. (PTI)

Patna, Dec. 2: The BJP today showcased Janata Dal (United) president George Fernandes at its ?save Bihar? rally to indicate that all was fine between the two NDA partners.

The leaders asserted that the two parties were determined to contest the Assembly elections with ?rock-solid unity.

Fernandes endorsed the show?s unanimous view that all anti-RJD forces needed to unite to effect a change of regime in the state, adding that he ?shivers with fear? when he visualises the fate of Bihar if Laloo Prasad Yadav?s party comes to office for a fourth consecutive term.

?Talking secularism in the context of Bihar is irrelevant. It is being used as a political weapon only to promote divisions in society. People who work on this line will only end up strengthening Laloo Prasad. The shame of Bihar has to be erased and this unidirectional objective has to be pursued. For this, unity is a must,? Fernandes said in an oblique reference to Ram Vilas Paswan and the Lok Janshakti Party.

Fernandes accompanied BJP president L.K. Advani from Delhi for the rally. But former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee could not attend because of ?bad health?.

Advani stressed that an ?emergency-like situation? existed in Bihar. ?Even in 1977, a large number of people believed that it was impossible to dislodge the Congress. That was why the party went for elections at the height of Emergency but the people taught it a lesson. A similar change is possible in Bihar provided its people open their third eye like Shiva,? he said.

Bihar, according to Advani, has seen ?no development, no welfare, no relief? in the past 15 years and murders and kidnappings have become ?avenues of employment?. ?I appeal to the people of Bihar to think what they have got in 15 years. Weigh Bihar on any scale and it occupies the last place. Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan will soon come out of the category of Bimaru states, while Bihar is going further down,? he added.

Advani said after the Narayanpur massacre, Sonia Gandhi, on a visit to Bihar, had said the state government had no right to continue in office. ?Today, the same Sonia Gandhi has joined hands with the RJD and Laloo Prasad. The RJD president claims to be a product of the JP movement and yet he is aligned with the Congress. Bihar deserves a better deal than this contradiction,? he said and appealed to the party workers to fan out in the state to generate mass awareness.

During his speech, Advani made special mention of senior party leaders Sushil Kumar Modi and Shatrughan Sinha while other party leaders stressed the ?collective leadership? of the BJP and the NDA as an antidote to the RJD.

?If we come to office, expect a check on the crime situation within three months. We promise to improve the condition of roads and electricity in five years during which we will also check the flight of manpower from Bihar,? Modi said.

Shatrughan Sinha came out with a lot of statistics to stress that Bihar fared the worst with respect to all indicators of socio-economic development. ?If the captain gets the accolades, he will also get the beating,? he said, referring to Laloo Prasad.

?I appeal to all Muslims to take a look at us. I do not say that you must vote for the BJP. But it is better to be prepared for any eventuality,? he added.