Shah Warns Bihar Against Return of Jungle Raj

New Delhi: Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections would determine whether the state returns to “jungle raj” or continues on the path of development under the NDA government.

Addressing a series of election rallies in Bihar, Shah lashed out at the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, accusing it of opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He asserted that every infiltrator would be identified, removed from voter lists, and deported.

“Rahul baba says let infiltrators stay in Bihar. You tell me, should we let them stay? No matter how many rallies he holds, he cannot protect them,” Shah said, referring to the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. He described Gandhi’s “Voter Adhikar Yatra” as a “ghuspetiya bachao yatra” (a march to protect infiltrators).

Asserting confidence in an NDA victory, Shah said, “Our government will detect and deport every infiltrator. This election is not about making someone an MLA, minister, or chief minister, it is about deciding Bihar’s future.”

He warned that a Lalu-Rabri government would bring back lawlessness, while an NDA victory would ensure a progressive Bihar. “If NDA comes to power, Bihar will make its mark as a developed state,” he said.

Highlighting development under the NDA, Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had restored Nalanda University’s historic legacy, claiming that even “100 Bakhtiyar Khaljis cannot destroy it again.”

He noted that elections in Bihar are now being held in two phases, unlike the six phases during Lalu Prasad’s regime, and predicted that the next elections would be conducted in a single phase. “Vote for the NDA to make that happen,” he appealed.

Accusing the Opposition alliance of “corruption and nepotism,” Shah alleged that RJD supremo Lalu Prasad was only focused on his family’s welfare. “Nitish babu wants Bihar’s development, while Lalu wants to make his son chief minister and Sonia Gandhi wants her son to be prime minister,” he said, adding that there were no corruption charges against Modi or Nitish.

Shah alleged that under the RJD, Bihar had become a hub of “murder, robbery, extortion, and kidnapping,” while industries fled the state. “Under Nitish babu’s leadership, the NDA ended jungle raj, dynastic politics, and Naxalism,” he said.

Extending greetings for Chhath Puja, Shah prayed for Bihar to remain free of lawlessness and to continue progressing. “May our sisters and daughters remain safe, and may Bihar become a developed state,” he said.

Outlining the NDA’s priorities, he said the government’s focus was on schools, healthcare, irrigation, and drinking water for all households. He highlighted the government’s welfare initiatives, including the ₹10,000 deposit to one crore women under the Jeevika scheme, increased pensions for widows and the elderly from ₹400 to ₹1,100, and the ₹3,000 monthly honorarium for ASHA workers.

Shah also cited Modi’s leadership, claiming that India’s economy had moved from 11th to 4th position globally and would rise to third by 2027, adding that the government had successfully struck at terrorist hideouts inside enemy territory.