Bihar turns political battlefield as NDA, INDIA bloc trade blows

As Bihar heads into a crucial two-phase Assembly election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday mounted a coordinated attack on the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress, accusing them of trapping the state in decades of lawlessness, corruption, and under-development. Addressing rallies in Katihar, Saharsa and Sitamarhi, both leaders portrayed the Nitish Kumar–Modi partnership as the force that “liberated Bihar from Jungle Raj” and transformed it into a state of “Sushasan” (good governance).

In Katihar, PM Modi accused the RJD of being “anti-development” and keeping Bihar in misery for years. “When people demanded roads, they were told accidents would increase. When people asked for electricity, they were told people might get electro-cuted. That was their excuse for not developing Bihar,” he said. The Prime Minister credited the NDA government with transforming the state through new infrastructure, railway connectivity, and expressways. “Where there was despair, there is now hope. People believe only the NDA can fulfil their dreams,” he added, citing the introduction of Vande Bharat trains, better roads, and modern hospitals.

At a rally in Saharsa, Modi intensified his attack on the Opposition, accusing the RJD-Congress alliance of glorifying the lawless era of the 1990s. “In the dictionaries of RJD and Congress you’ll find words like ‘katta’ (gun), cruelty, corruption, and bad governance. That is all they learned in the school of Jungle Raj,” he said. Recalling a violent incident from Saharsa, Modi reminded the crowd how even law-enforcers once feared for their lives. “Back then, every contractor, businessman, and officer lived in fear. That’s how progress came to a halt. Today, under Nitish Kumar’s government, that dark period is over. Bihar now walks the path of development,” he said.

Modi also mocked the Congress’s election promise to build a Nalanda-like university. “When they ruled for ten years at the Centre, they gave only ₹ 20 crore, not enough to build even a school. But when we came to power, we revived Nalanda’s glory. Over ₹ 2,000 crore has been invested, and students from 21 countries are studying there. This is the difference between empty promises and real work,” he added.

In Sitamarhi, Amit Shah echoed Modi’s message, crediting the Modi–Nitish alliance for ending “Jungle Raj” and “dynasty politics”. “The pair of Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi has liberated Bihar from Jungle Raj. Lalu ji and Rabri ji want to make their son the CM, Sonia Gandhi wants her son to be PM. But neither will happen, Bihar is with Nitish ji, and the country stands firmly with Narendra Modi ji,” Shah declared.

Calling Rahul Gandhi’s “Voter Adhikar Yatra” a “ghuspaithia bachao yatra” (save infiltrators march), Shah accused the Opposition of siding with infiltrators instead of protecting Bihar’s people. He also claimed that the NDA government had succeeded in making Bihar naxal-free, allowing polling to be conducted across the state till 5 pm for the first time. “When Congress was in power, several districts were naxal-affected, and polling ended at 3 pm. For the first time, the entire state will vote till 5 pm because Bihar is now naxal-free,” he said.

Both Modi and Shah repeatedly contrasted the NDA’s governance record with what they described as the “era of fear and stagnation” under the RJD-Congress combine. They urged voters to protect Bihar from what they called a return to the politics of corruption and chaos.

The Bihar Assembly elections will be held in two phases, on November 6 and November 11, with counting scheduled for November 14.