Patna, Nov 3 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Monday, launched a blistering attack on Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi, blaming their 15-year rule for lawlessness that shut down Bihar’s industries and sugar mills.

Speaking at a rally in Riga block of Sitamarhi, Union Minister Shah said the state’s industrial setbacks — including the closure of sugar mills, the stalling of the Barauni refinery complex and delayed power projects — were a direct result of extortion and terror under the earlier government.

He credited Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with restoring law and order and opening the state to development.

“During Lalu and Rabri’s rule, there was a reign of terror and lawlessness in Bihar. Our sugar mill was shut down due to extortion… Nitish Kumar has ended the reign of terror and opened the doors to development,” he said.

Union Minister Shah reiterated a promise he had made earlier in Riga, saying the Riga sugar mill — now operational — would be only the start.

He pledged that the Centre’s cooperative department would work to restart all closed sugar mills in Bihar to boost prosperity for sugarcane farmers.

The Union Minister contrasted the present with earlier times when areas affected by Maoism saw curtailed polling.

“This time, the entire Bihar will vote until 5 p.m., because Bihar has become free from Maoism,” Union Minister Shah said.

He attacked what he called dynastic ambitions, claiming Lalu Prasad Yadav seeks to make his son Tejashwi Yadav the Chief Minister of Bihar and Sonia Gandhi to make her son Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister — and said neither would succeed so long as Nitish Kumar and PM Narendra Modi lead.

“Let me tell you today that neither Lalu’s son will become the Chief Minister nor will Sonia’s son become the Prime Minister of the country. Because Nitish Kumar is in Bihar and Narendra Modi is in the country,” Union Minister Shah said.

“Narendra Modi has taken the pledge for a developed India, and Nitish Kumar has taken the pledge for a developed Bihar. Without a developed Bihar, India cannot become developed. If you want to make Bihar developed, then ensure a resounding victory for the NDA,” he added.

He also criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Save the Infiltrators’ Yatra, warning that alleged infiltrators undermine jobs and entitlements and vowing to identify and remove every single infiltrator in Bihar and across the country.

“Rahul Gandhi recently came to Bihar for a ‘Save the Infiltrators’ Yatra. These infiltrators are taking away the food grains meant for our poor, snatching away the jobs of our youth, and those who have come here from Bangladesh do not have the right to choose the Chief Minister of Bihar. Rahul Gandhi, you can hold ‘Save the Infiltrators Rallies’ not only in Bihar but throughout the country, but we will identify and remove every single infiltrator from the country,” Union Minister Shah said.

He appealed to the voters to deliver a strong mandate for the NDA, saying a developed Bihar is essential for a developed India.

After his rally in Sitamarhi, Union Home Minister Shah also addressed a massive gathering in Madhubani district.

He said that after the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the construction of a grand temple dedicated to Goddess Sita has now begun at Punoura Dham in Sitamarhi, with an estimated cost of Rs 850 crore.

He claimed that both these temples will become symbols of development for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

He invoked PM Modi’s Pahalgam vow and said: “In Madhubani, PM Modi had promised that those who killed our tourists in Pahalgam after asking their religion would be avenged. Within just 20 days, PM Modi launched Operation Sindoor. Our Army entered Pakistan, went inside the terrorists’ homes and eliminated them.”

He urged the people to vote to save Bihar from “Jungle Raj”, alleging that the 15-year period of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi was marked by kidnapping, robbery, extortion, loot and murder, while PM Modi–Nitish Kumar’s double engine government has delivered development.

He also accused Lalu Prasad Yadav of not respecting Mithila culture.

Union Minister Shah said that PM Modi has done what earlier governments did not: include Maithili language in the Eighth Schedule, initiated the process of translating the Constitution into Maithili, ensured GI tag for Madhubani paintings, and honoured Padma Vibhushan awardee Sharda Sinha.

–IANS

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