A combative Prime Minister Narendra Modi resumed campaigning in Bihar on Sunday by addressing four massive rallies at Marhaura (Sohna), Hajipur, Nalanda and Naubatpur.
In all the four rallies, Modi mentioned his six-point programme for Bihar. "The development of the state depends on bijli (electricity), paani (water) and sadak (roads) apart from quality education for students, income for the youth and medicines for the elderly."
Modi took on chief minister Nitish Kumar head-on in the latter's home district of Nalanda. "Do you know why the two (Lalu and Nitish) hate me? I did not snatch the dinner plate from him (Nitish). For 30 years, they did backward and forward caste politics and hoped that they would become Prime Minister of the country one day. They are angry and puzzled that instead of them, how could another man hailing from the backward caste, who used to sell tea, become the PM?" The crowd roared in approval.
Modi went on to attack " bade bhai" (Lalu) and "chhote bhai" (Nitish) for their repeated charges that the BJP was going to change the reservation policy. "I have been the chief minister of Gujarat for 14 years. We are in power in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Goa and many other states. Nowhere has the reservation policy been changed. Yet, the two brothers keep on raising this bogey when a son of a backward caste is PM," he said.
The Prime Minister took a dig at the media for "creating a perception that the BJP was in choppy waters after two phases. "The Grand Alliance has outsourced its campaigning to air-conditioned rooms in Delhi from where they make predictions. I have been sweating it out in Bihar and have seen the crowds. I know an NDA government will come," he said.
Modi also poked fun at the video clip showing a tantrik hugging Nitish and raising slogans against Lalu, which went viral on Saturday. The Prime Minister addressed the chief minister as "lok tantrik" Nitish Kumar.
"I thought that there were three partners in the Grand Alliance - bada bhai Lalu, chhota bhai Nitish and Madam Sonia Gandhi. I have just learnt that it has a fourth partner - the tantrik," he said, wondering how people with an 18th century mindset could rule the state in the 21st century. Taking a jibe at Lalu Prasad for calling himself the biggest tantrik, Modi said the RJD should rechristen itself as the Rashtriya Jadutona Dal.
However, in Marhaura, the PM had good news for former railway minister Lalu Prasad as he announced that the railways was working for the revival of the diesel locomotive factory there. Lalu had initiated the project and the railways had even acquired land. But after he stepped down, work came to a standstill.
Modi took on Nitish for projecting the NDA as a rule of bahri (outsider). "I will like to ask the two brothers as to who is responsible for forcing the youths in Bihar to go outside the state in search of education and employment? The two of them have ruled the state for 25 years. Who is responsible for shutting down the sugar mills and toffee factories," he asked the crowd.
In Marhaura, Modi took on Nitish for accusing him of keeping mum on incidents (Dadri lynching and Dalit killings in Faridabad). "Nitish ji, you keep asking me questions. You yourself did not visit the village in which 23 children died after taking mid-day meal. You skipped the tragedy on the pretext of a broken toe," he said.
Modi left nobody in doubt that the battle for the next three rounds of elections was growing fiercer.
