Bihar will not forget Jungle Raj for 100 years, says PM Modi; dubs Oppn as 'lathbandhan'

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the people of Bihar will never forget the "misdeeds of Jungle Raj", an apparent reference to the RJD rule, and dubbed the opposition alliance as a "lathbandhan" (a coalition of criminals), whose leaders are out on bail.

Interacting with young BJP workers through the NaMo App, Modi also asked all the NDA partners to campaign together for the two-phase Bihar elections next month and highlight the achievements of the NDA government in the state.

The prime minister also gave a new slogan "Raftaar pakad chuka Bihar, phir se NDA sarkar", asserting that the state was witnessing all-round development with schools, hospitals and new rail routes being built.

"This is because there is a stable government in the country and in Bihar," Modi said in an interaction with BJP workers under the 'Mera Booth Sabse Majboot: Yuva Samvaad' initiative.

The prime minister urged the youth to participate in large numbers in the 'Run for Unity' on October 31 to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Modi will kickstart his campaign for the Bihar elections by addressing two public meetings at Samastipur and Begusarai on Friday.

Bihar goes to polls on November 6 and 11. The counting of votes will be held on November 14.

The prime minister said people will not forget the "Jungle Raj" in Bihar for another 100 years. No matter how hard the Opposition tries to hide its misdeeds, people will not forgive it, he added.

"Nitish ji and the NDA worked hard to bring Bihar out of the 'Jungle Raj' and establish the rule of law. Now people take pride in calling themselves Bihari," Modi said.

Exhorting the BJP workers in Bihar ahead of assembly polls, Modi said, "We all need to be amongst people 24x7 for the next 20 days."

Modi asked the BJP youth workers to connect with first-time voters of Bihar and tell them about the power of their vote.

Training his guns at the RJD-Congress tie-up on a day Tejashwi Yadav was declared the Mahagathbandhan's chief ministerial candidate, Modi said the opposition alliance is not a "gathbandhan" but a "lathbandhan" (a coalition of criminals) as all its leaders from Delhi and Bihar are out on bail.

"Those who call themselves gathbandhan (alliance), the people of Bihar call them a lathbandhan (coalition of criminals). They only know how to wield the stick and fight. For the people of the lathbandhan, their own self-interest is supreme," he said.

Modi said the "lathbandhan" does not care about the youth of Bihar.

"For decades, the youth of the country and Bihar suffered from Naxalism and Maoist terrorism. But these people prioritised their own self-interest over yours. They kept winning elections by seeking help from Maoist terror," he said.

"This is the power of the vote. I believe that in the entire country, no one understands the power of vote better than the brothers and sisters of Bihar. This is the reason that after removing the Jungle Raj once, they do not want it to return again," Modi said.

The prime minister asked the BJP workers to ensure that elderly people educate youngsters about the atrocities during the 'Jungle Raj', an apparent reference to the time when Bihar was under the rule of RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi.

"I would tell all the youngsters in Bihar to gather all the young people at every booth and have the elderly people in that area come and tell everyone about the old stories from the Jungle Raj," he said.

He said the Bihar assembly polls are about writing a new chapter in the history of the state and that youngsters will play a key role in it.

Modi said a new era in women's empowerment will begin in Bihar on November 14 when the NDA is voted back to power.

He asked the BJP workers to make a list of women who were yet to get the benefits of the CM Mahila Rozgar Yojana and assure them of inclusion in the scheme once the NDA returned to power.

Modi said workers of all NDA parties should campaign together to spread awareness among voters about government schemes in Bihar.

The prime minister also stressed the need to create technology and start-up hubs in Bihar and asserted that the youth will no longer have to migrate to other states and earn their livelihood within the state.

The INDIA opposition bloc on Thursday declared RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav its chief ministerial candidate for the Bihar polls.