New Delhi, Oct 24 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday launched a scathing attack on RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and the opposition alliance during his campaign rally in Siwan, invoking memories of Bihar’s “dark years” under the Lalu-Rabri regime and the reign of gangster-politician Mohammad Shahabuddin.

Addressing a massive crowd, Shah said, “For twenty long years, this land of Siwan endured the jungle raj of Lalu and Rabri. Siwan witnessed atrocities, oppression, and countless murders under that regime. But the brave people here never bowed down and put an end to that era.”

Calling Siwan the land of India’s first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad, Shah paid tributes to the region’s legacy of courage and resistance. He accused the RJD leadership of rampant corruption, saying, “Tell the people what you did in 20 years—except scams. You were involved in fodder, land, power, job and railway hotel scams. Even relief schemes weren’t spared.”

Targeting the late Shahabuddin, a former RJD MP who turned Siwan into a hub of fear, the Union Home Minister recounted, “For 20 years, A-category history-sheeter Shahabuddin, with 75 cases and two jail terms, terrorised Siwan. He even bathed a businessman’s sons in acid. Yet the people of Siwan never surrendered. Today, Lalu Prasad has given a ticket to Shahabuddin’s son from Raghunathpur. But under Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi, even if 100 Shahabuddins come, they cannot harm you.”

Defending CM Nitish Kumar, he said it was he who freed Bihar from lawlessness and set it on a path of progress. “Earlier Nitish stood alone, but for 11 years, the double-engine government of PM Modi and CM Nitish has transformed Bihar,” he said.

Referring to national security, he contrasted the NDA’s response to terrorism with previous governments, saying, “When Congress and Lalu-Sonia were in power, terrorists were served biryani. Under PM Modi, we carried out surgical strikes, air strikes and Operation Sindoor inside Pakistan.”

Asserting that the NDA is set to return to power, Shah declared, “Lalu’s son’s campaign has collapsed even before it began. Their alliance is in disarray. Bihar’s people have decided — only PM Modi-Nitish can ensure safety, development and dignity.”

–IANS

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