Modi: Cong Vote Chori Flopped

New Delhi: Invoking Chhathhi Maiyya at the start of his speech after the NDA’s sweeping mandate in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday targeted the Opposition, particularly the Congress, for its “vote chori” allegation against the BJP. Modi said the mandate showed “jabardast samarthan (huge support)” for “matdata shuddhikaran (purification of the voter roll),” which he described as essential for democratic integrity. He urged all political parties to join the ongoing SIR (Special Summary Revision) of electoral rolls by appointing their workers at every polling station.

He said the Bihar victory had produced a new “M-Y formula” Mahila (women) and Yuva (youth) which had defeated the old communal M-Y (Muslim-Yadav) formula identified with the RJD. “Bihar has a large youth population across religions and castes. Their aspirations have destroyed the communal M-Y formula of the jungle raj period,” Modi said.

Modi attacked the Congress, calling it a “parjivi (parasite)” and a “liability,” and warned the I.N.D.I.A. bloc to be cautious as the party could “revive” itself by feeding on its allies’ vote base. He said the Bihar mandate was a rejection of dynastic politics and a victory for democracy. The Prime Minister also praised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s leadership and congratulated NDA allies for the win.

Addressing BJP workers at the party headquarters, Modi described the mandate as the victory of democracy and said the result had strengthened people’s trust in the Election Commission. The Congress had led a forceful “vote chori” campaign accusing the BJP of manipulating the polls and questioning the EC’s credibility. Modi congratulated the poll body for ensuring high voter turnout. He added that “jungle raj will never return” to Bihar and said voters had made it clear they would not support leaders who are “out on bail,” referring to the RJD and Congress leadership.

Upon arriving at the BJP headquarters, Modi waved a gamchha adorned with Mithila art, signalling a cultural connection with Bihar. His remark, “Bihar ke logon ne garda uda diya” (the people of Bihar have blown the dust away), at the start of his nearly hour-long speech drew loud applause. Senior leaders including Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and BJP president J.P. Nadda were present.

Modi also vowed to end ‘jungle raj’ in West Bengal, claiming that just as the Ganga flows from Bihar into Bengal, the Bihar victory had paved the way for a BJP win there.

Criticising the Congress for becoming what he termed the “Muslimleegi Maowadi Congress (MMC),” the PM predicted a major split in the party, saying that some within it were tired of its “negative politics.” Taking a swipe at the leadership, he said “naamdars” were dragging the whole party down.

Calling Bihar the land that gave India the honour of being the “mother of democracy,” the Prime Minister said the same land had ensured that those who attacked democracy “bite the dust.” “Bihar has shown again that lies are defeated and people’s trust wins,” he said.

Modi asserted that the Assembly victory marked the beginning of a new era, predicting rapid progress over the next five years with new industries, investment and jobs. He said the days of election violence, booth capturing and repeated polling were over, noting that this time there was no violence and no repoll ordered. He recalled that earlier, polling in some Maoist-affected constituencies had to end by 3 pm for security reasons.

The Prime Minister also said that efforts were underway to secure Unesco recognition for the Chhath festival as a cultural symbol of India.

Earlier, BJP president J.P. Nadda said the people had given a “tsunami-like” mandate for good governance and development, placing a “no entry” sign for the jungle raj of the past. He said the verdict reflected the people’s unwavering faith in Modi and the progress achieved under his leadership.