PM Modi Slams RJD–Congress at Chhapra Rally, calls 1990s ‘Dark Age of Jungle Raj’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tore into the RJD–Congress alliance at his Chhapra rally, describing their earlier rule in Bihar as a “dark age of jungle raj” in which women and children suffered the most .

Citing a 1998 case, Modi said that during the RJD regime the wife of a Dalit IAS officer was kidnapped and assaulted by local goons , forcing her to write to the then Governor for justice. The episode, he said, symbolised the collapse of law and order and the climate of fear that pervaded Bihar at the time.

“The Chief Minister’s Office itself had become a mafia hub,” Modi alleged, adding that women, labourers and students had lived under constant insecurity. He appealed to young voters: “Your parents voted to end jungle raj; now it’s your turn to vote for a developed Bihar.”

The NDA , meanwhile, has no shortage of grim reminders of that period. One of the most chilling was the 1994 lynching of Dalit IAS officer G. Krishnaiah , who was dragged from his car and beaten to death by a mob led by upper-caste politician Anand Mohan Singh . The killing remains a lasting symbol of the lawlessness and caste arrogance that defined Bihar’s political landscape through the 1990s.

Modi also accused the Mahagathbandhan of shielding infiltrators and betraying public trust, while mocking it as an alliance “opposed to both faith and development.” He criticised RJD and Congress leaders for not visiting the Ram Temple even after its construction and for insulting the Chhath festival , calling such acts disrespectful to Bihar’s cultural soul.

Recalling more recent incidents, Modi said Congress figures in other states had insulted Bihari migrants , noting that in 2022, then-Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi told people from UP and Bihar not to come to his state while Priyanka Gandhi looked on smiling. “Those who mocked Biharis are now welcomed here by the RJD,” he said.

Concluding alongside Chief Minister Nitish Kumar , Modi reaffirmed the NDA’s commitment: “Your dream is our mission. Bihar’s march from good governance to prosperity must continue.” The crowd responded with chants of “Phir Ek Baar, NDA Sarkar!”