Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated the NDA election campaign in Bihar on Friday. He was positive that the NDA would come out with a big win and break new records in the next elections. While addressing rallies in Samastipur and Begusarai, he appreciated the state government of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for its development under the NDA.
The Prime Minister went there to pay respects to former Bihar Chief Minister Karpuri Thakur in Samastipur beforehand. Karpuri Thakur, who was remembered as the 'Jana Nayak', received the Bharat Ratna posthumously from the central government on his birth centenary last year.
Modi attacked the opposition's India alliance as a "maha kalhal alliance," that is, an alliance where internal conflicts abound. Modi aimed at the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leadership, blaming them for instability and bad governance during their last tenure in Bihar.
He requested those in the Samastipur rally to switch on their mobile flashlights, stating that technology had done away with the use of lanterns — a symbolic appeal to the RJD's election symbol. Modi further claimed that looting, kidnappings, and killings were the order of the day during the period of RJD rule, and that Maoist activities had spread to 18 districts during that time. He said that since the NDA took office at the Centre, it had weakened the Maoists and that India would soon be Maoist-violence-free.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also canvassed for NDA candidates in Siwan district. He asked the people to vote for the NDA for further development and stability in the state.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and JD(U) president as well, stood side by side with Prime Minister Modi during the Samastipur rally. He informed that it was his greatest political blunder to join the India Alliance in the past, which he came to know later on. He upheld his pledge towards the NDA and was sure of a runaway triumph for the alliance.
