In his first election campaign in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday took a dig at Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress while addressing rallies in Aurangabad and Nawada Lok Sabha constituencies to seek votes for BJP candidates Sushil Kumar Singh and Vivek Thakur.
Launching a blistering attack on the RJD and the Congress, Mr. Adityanath appealed to the people to follow voters of Uttar Pradesh who, he said, have rejected nepotism and caste-based politics.
“This dynastic pattern extends from Bihar to Uttar Pradesh. The people of Uttar Pradesh have voiced their stance, now it’s Bihar’s turn. Let’s reject divisive caste politics,” Mr. Adityanath said in Aurangabad.
Slamming Lalu Prasad during the rally, Mr. Adityanath said, said: “Ishwar Lalu ji ko swasth karein, vah aabadi badhayein aur BJP aawas banane ka karya karegi, (May God bless Lalu ji with good health so he can contribute to the population. The BJP will build houses).”
Urging people not to expect anything from the RJD, Mr. Adityanath said, “RJD is a party centered around one family. Development, seats and benefits of schemes all serve interests of the family with no consideration for the society.”
He said Lok Sabha seats in Bihar seemed to be reserved for Mr. Prasad’s family. “This election has turned out to be nation first versus family first. The Lok Sabha seats in Bihar were not enough to accommodate Lalu Prasad’s own family,” Mr. Adityanath said.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will build houses for three crore poor in the next five years. Mr. Adityanath remarked that with the removal of the Congress and RJD influence from Bihar, the momentum of development will surge.
Mr. Adityanath hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the consecration of Lord Ram’s idol in the temple in Ayodhya. He said that the event evoked excitement and enthusiasm both in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. He also expressed his appreciation for the gifts sent by the people of Bihar for the temple.
“A symbiotic relationship exists between U.P. and Bihar, which will remain unchanged. We say, Sitaram, prioritising Mother Sita’s name before Shri Ram’s, thereby fostering the ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’ campaign by strengthening the bond between the two states. When the people of Bihar were coming from different parts of the country during the COVID-19 pandemic, we ensured that the people from Mother Sita’s maternal home were not discriminated against,”he said.
In Nawada, Mr. Adityanath said funds released by New Delhi now directly reach beneficiaries. He said under the Modi government, four crore people have received houses and three crore more houses will be built in the upcoming five years.
He said the Congress never celebrated icons from Bihar. “Congress and its allies consistently failed to honour Jai Prakash Narayan ji and Karpoori Thakur. However, PM Modi and the BJP demonstrated their respect for Bihar’s people by bestowing Bharat Ratna upon Karpoori Thakur. Bihar is revered as the cradle of democracy, shaping the nation’s history and imparting invaluable lessons in democracy,”he said.
Mr. Adityanath also pointed out that the gravest challenges to democracy include the ‘criminalisation of politics’ and the ‘politicisation of criminals.’ He added that politics based on caste and family is a major challenge to the democratic process.
He accused RJD of engaging in extortion activities, asserting that such activities are not tolerated under the BJP-NDA government.
Aurangabad and Nawada go to the polls in the first phase on April 19.
