New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday sought to portray the Congress-RJD combine as a protector of illegal immigrants and promised to drive out every infiltrator from the country, seeking to widen to Bihar and Bengal the poll plank he launched in Assam a day earlier.
Addressing a rally in Purnia, in the eastern region of Bihar close to Bengal and Bangladesh, Modi said a demographic "sankat" (crisis) was looming over Bihar and eastern India because of “ghuspetiyas” (infiltrators) and accused the Congress-RJD of trying to precipitate it by saving those who had entered the state illegally.
“Today, a big crisis has arisen due to infiltration in Seemanchal (the eastern districts of Bihar) and eastern India. People of Bihar, Bengal, Assam and many other states are worried about the safety of their sisters and daughters,” Modi said.
He slammed the Bihar Opposition as saviours of the infiltrators, targeting Rahul Gandhi's Voter Adhikar Yatra in the state against the special intensive revision of electoral rolls. “The RJD-Congress have been shamelessly raising slogans and taking out yatras to protect infiltrators who have come from abroad,” the Prime Minister said.
Asserting his government’s firm resolve, Modi added: “Today, from this land of Purnea, I want to make one thing very clear. RJD and Congress people, listen to me with your ears open. Whoever is an infiltrator will have to go. It is the firm resolve of the NDA government to stop infiltration.”
Illegal infiltration in Bihar is an issue limited to the eastern border districts but the BJP is striving to turn it into a pan-Bihar problem in the run-up to the October-November polls. Modi claimed Bihar’s identity was under threat due to infiltrators.
Seeking to throw a challenge at the Opposition, Modi said: “No matter how much effort you put in to save the infiltrators, we will continue to work with the resolve to drive them out. This is Modi’s guarantee.”
This was Modi’s seventh visit to Bihar this year. He has used every official event in the state to address rallies and launch political attacks on the Opposition, seeking to prepare the ground for the elections.
Adani ire
Among the projects for which Modi laid the foundation on Monday was a 2,400MW thermal power plant in Pirpainti of Bhagalpur district to be developed by Adani Power Ltd. The Congress picked on this and accused the BJP of gifting 1,050 acres of land to Modi’s “friend” Gautam Adani for just ₹1.
“Bihar’s land, Bihar’s money, Bihar’s coal, and the power plant contract were given to Gautam Adani. For just ₹1, 1,050 acres were given to Gautam Adani for 33 years. In return, Gautam Adani will supply electricity to Bihar at ₹6.075 per unit,” Congress’s media and publicity department chairman Pawan Khera said.