Munger (Bihar) [India], April 26 : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took a dig at former Deputy Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav and said that coalition government of BJP-JD-U has been undertaking the development work in Bihar but former Deputy CM is asking for votes.
He highlighted the collective efforts between BJP and Janata Dal (United) to ensure development in all fields since 2005.
"We are doing all the work at a fast pace and you should remember that we have come together since 2005 to serve Bihar. We are doing development work in all departments, from education to health to infrastructure. The work has been done by us and he (Tejashwi Yadav) is asking for votes. We gave him a chance twice but then we removed him. We (JDU-BJP) have always been together and we will remain together always," Nitish Kumar said while addressing a public meeting in Munger on Friday.
He emphasised the development happening under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the state as well as the whole country while urging the public to vote for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
Attacking former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi, Nitish Kumar said, "Before 2005, the situation was that people did not come out of their homes, education, roads, electricity, all this was not there before 2005 but after 2005 when we got a chance to work, we have done better work in all the fields. Earlier they stirred fights between Hindus and Muslims and their politics used to be based on bread and butter but we have worked for everyone and remembering all this, vote for NDA."
"The entire country is developing under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. And now there are elections, so seeing all these things, you know that he has developed the country a lot, he has also helped Bihar," he added.
Hitting out at the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the day said that Muger has suffered the most during the "dark era" of "Jungle Raj" in Bihar under the RJD's rule.
He added that the Congress and RJD want to "loot" the wealth of the people and give it to their "special vote bank."
"There is an NDA model on one side and there is an INDI Alliance model on the other. INDI alliance model is appeasement (tushtikaran) and NDA's model is satisfaction (santushtikaran). We have to ensure that no one is left behind. We gave toilets, gas, electricity connections, and water facilities to our mothers and sisters. We gave free ration and free medical treatment," PM Modi said.
"Munger has suffered the most during the Jungle Raj that took place during the dark era of 'Laalten' (lantern -- symbol of RJD). At that time, everyone wanted to migrate out of there. But, Nitish Kumar, JD(U) and BJP have taken Bihar out of that darkness. Now when India is progressing at a rapid pace, this is also the time for Bihar to grow strongly," he added.
The 40 seats in Bihar are undergoing polls in all seven phases. In 2019, BJP-led NDA swept the state by winning 39 out of 40 seats, while Congress won just one seat. RJD, a formidable force in the state failed to open its account.
The Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), the opposition coalition in Bihar, including Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties, recently announced that the RJD, its largest constituent, will contest 26 out of the state's 40 Lok Sabha seats.
As part of the NDA, BJP and JD(U) will contest on 17 and 16 seats respectively. Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will contest five seats, and Jitan Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha will contest one seat each.