In the run-up to the Bihar Assembly elections, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a sharp attack on the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress on Saturday (October 25, 2025), warning that ‘Jungle Raj’ would return to the State if the parties were voted to power. Mr. Shah reiterated that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was contesting elections under the leadership of Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Mr. Shah was in Bihar to address public meetings in Khagaria, Munger and Nalanda districts to cover 13 Assembly constituencies in support of NDA candidates. He also wished the people of Bihar on the State’s biggest festival, the ‘Chhath’, that began with the Nahay Khay on Saturday.
“I want to extend my best wishes for Chhath Mahaparv to all the people of Bihar. I pray to Chhath Maiya that our Bihar remains free from ‘Jungle Raj’ forever, and law and order remain strong. Our sisters and daughters should remain safe and Bihar should progresses to become a developed State,”Mr. Shah said.
Addressing a rally in Khagaria, Mr. Shah asserted that this election was not about making someone an MLA, Minister, or Chief Minister; rather, it was about choosing between Jungle Raj or the rule of development.
In Munger, the Union Home Minister alleged that during the RJD’s rule, murder, robbery, extortion, kidnapping, and massacres were routine affairs, with industries fleeing the State. Mr. Shah added that under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, the NDA freed Bihar from Jungle Raj, ended dynastic politics and eliminated Naxalism.
He pointed out that the prompt functioning of schools and colleges, the availability of medicines, the irrigation of agricultural fields, and the supply of water in every home were part of the NDA policy. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had raised these points from day one since taking charge as the Opposition leader.
“On the other hand, the Grand Alliance has two identities — corruption and nepotism. Nitish Babu wants to advance the sons and daughters of Bihar, while Lalu Ji wants to make his son the Chief Minister, and Sonia Gandhi wants to make her son the Prime Minister,”Mr. Shah said.
He accused the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, of being “sympathetic to infiltrators” and wanting to “host them” in the State. “I promise that if you vote for the NDA government, we will throw out every single infiltrator from the country,”Mr. Shah said.
“If Lalu-Rabri came back, then Jungle Raj will return in Bihar, and if Narendra Modi and Nitish Babu came, then our Bihar will move forward again,”Mr. Shah said.
In Nalanda, he appealed to the people to vote for NDA candidates so as to form an NDA government with a two-thirds majority. “You have given blessings for 20 years. Give your blessings for another five years, and we will make Bihar a developed State,”Mr. Shah said.
Praising the Union government, Mr. Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi restored the glory of Nalanda’s heritage by rebuilding the Nalanda University after it as destroyed by Turkish invader Bakhtiyar Khilji.
He also said that, unlike the tenure of the RJD, when elections were held in six phases due to law-and-order issues, elections happened in two phases under Mr. Modi and Mr. Nitish. Mr. Shah expressed confidence about holding elections in one phase in the future.
Calling Bihar a safe place, the BJP leader said in comparison to 2005, there was a 20% decrease in murders in 2024, an 80% decrease in robbery incidents, an 80% decrease in extortion incidents, and there has been no massacre in the State for the past 10 years.
On the other hand, Union Minister and BJP election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan reacted to the Opposition’s query to name the CM-face of the NDA. Mr. Pradhan, while speaking in Darbhanga, said, “We do not have a vacancy for the CM post as Nitish Kumar has occupied the position for the past 20 years. Since they (INDIA bloc) do not have that advantage, they are making the demand.”
Published – October 25, 2025 09:02 pm IST