Priyanka: NDA Failed Create Jobs For Bihar Youth

NEW DELHI: In a fiery start to her Bihar election campaign, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra launched a scathing attack on the ruling NDA, accusing it of failing the youth and turning Bihar into a land of “joblessness and migration.”

Addressing her first rally in the poll-bound state’s Begusarai district, Vadra claimed that the so-called “double-engine government” neither respects the people of Bihar nor Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi says Bihar will grow under a double-engine government. Please don’t be fooled. There is only one engine, and it runs from Delhi,” she said, adding, “Even your Chief Minister is not respected, and the people’s voices are not heard.”

The Congress leader alleged that both the Centre and the state government had weakened democracy by conducting a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) that “deleted 65 lakh voters” from the electoral rolls.

Vadra, who was scheduled to address two rallies, had to cancel her Khagaria event after her helicopter failed to take off due to bad weather. She later travelled by road from Patna to Begusarai, describing the journey as an eye-opener. “As I drove along the Ganges, I saw vast stretches of fertile land and yet, so much poverty. It is painful to see how a state so rich in resources has been kept poor,” she said.

She accused the BJP-led NDA of indulging in “divisive politics” and “fake nationalism” to distract citizens from real issues such as unemployment, inflation, and migration.

“The Prime Minister and the home minister spend their time attacking Nehru ji and Indira ji,” she said. “They promised one crore jobs, but where are those jobs after 10 years?”

Defending the Congress legacy, Vadra said most of India’s major industries and institutions, including IITs and IIMs, were established under Congress governments led by former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.

Praising her brother and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi for his “unwavering fight for social justice,” she lauded his efforts during the Voter Adhikar Yatra and accused the BJP of opposing the caste survey in Bihar. She contrasted the NDA’s governance record with that of Congress-ruled Telangana and the former Congress government in Rajasthan, which she said had “proven their commitment to social welfare.”

The Congress General Secretary further alleged that the Centre was handing over public wealth to corporate allies while using divisive politics and nationalism to divert attention from unemployment and inequality. “Now, when that doesn’t work, they are resorting to vote theft,” she said.

She also accused the NDA of using welfare schemes as election bait. “They think they can buy your votes by giving women ₹10,000 before elections. Take the money if they offer it, but don’t sell your vote. Your dignity and future are worth much more,” she urged.

Responding to the NDA’s claim that the I.N.D.I.A. bloc’s victory would bring back “jungle raj,” Vadra retorted that “law and order in Bihar is already in shambles,” citing the recent murders of political workers and businessmen.