Calling Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s leadership as pivotal to Bihar’s future, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday accused the previous RJD-Congress government of “punishing” the state and promised that a “new Bihar” would be built under the National Democratic Alliance government.
Speaking at a public meeting in Motihari after launching and inaugurating development projects of over Rs 7,200 crore, Modi said: “This is the land of Champaran, which gave a new direction to Mahatma Gandhi. Now, the inspiration from this land will shape Bihar’s new future”.
The Prime Minister’s address was aimed at highlighting NDA’s governance model in Bihar while drawing a sharp contrast with that of the earlier UPA regime. He accused the Congress-RJD of meting out “revenge politics” to the state.
“When the RJD and Congress were in power, Bihar was given just Rs 2 lakh crore in 10 years. It was as though they were punishing Nitish ji’s government punishing the people of Bihar. But in the last 10 years, the NDA governments have given multiple times more funding for Bihar’s development,” he said.
Taking a jibe at the RJD’s tenure in the state, Modi said that development was stalled under the RJD-Congress government, and the poor found it hard to access their rights.
“Those in power were more interested in how to loot what was rightfully the poor’s,” he said. “At that time, people didn’t even dare repaint their homes, fearing the landlords might be picked up. Can anyone who fostered such fear give you a pucca house?”
At the same time, he underscored the NDA’s credentials in welfare delivery, with schemes such as the government’s affordable housing scheme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and women’s Self-Help Group initiative, Lakhpati Didi, and the financial inclusion programme, Jan Dhan.
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“Over 12,000 families in Bihar have received new homes under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) on Thursday itself, and nearly seven lakh houses have already been built in the state under the scheme. In Motihari alone, three lakh pucca houses have been constructed,” he said. “Only in Bihar, more poor families have been given permanent homes than the total populations of countries like Norway, New Zealand, and Singapore,” he said.
Referring to the Jan Dhan scheme, he said: “Earlier, many women didn’t even have bank accounts. Today, more than 3.5 crore women in Bihar have Jan Dhan accounts. The government’s money is directly reaching them now through these accounts”.
He also announced a new central employment scheme for employment. To be rolled out on August 1, the scheme offers Rs 15,000 incentive to first-time job seekers in the private sector.
“This will be hugely beneficial for the youth of Bihar,” he said, adding that the Centre will allocate Rs 1 lakh crore for the initiative.
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There is more employment under the Nitish Kumar-led government, he said.
“Lakhs of youth have been appointed fairly and transparently. Nitish ji has taken new steps on employment, and the Centre is working shoulder-to-shoulder with him,” he said.
Promising further support to Bihar’s agro-based economy, he highlighted that the government is working on setting up a Makhana Board to connect the farmers of Bihar with global markets. Similar value chains could be developed in future for “banana, litchi, katarni rice, Jardalu mango and Magahi paan”, he said.
Modi also spoke about the decline of Maoist activity in Bihar, terming it a result of strong governance and security policy. “Today, districts like Champaran, Gaya, Jamui, and Aurangabad, which once were under Naxal influence, are seeing youth dream bigger,” he said, adding, “Our resolve is to free India from the shadow of Naxalism.”
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Framing the eastern region as the next engine of India’s growth, Modi said: “In the 21st century, Eastern countries are leading global growth. Similarly, in India, it will be eastern states that will drive the country forward”.
Positioning the BJP-JD(U)-led NDA as the covenant for Bihar’s continued development, Modi said, “You have already freed this land from the shackles of RJD and Congress. You made the impossible possible. Now that Bihar is on the path of progress, it must continue with the NDA. That is your pledge, NDA at every step. We will build a new Bihar — and once again, an NDA government.”
