RJD-Congress is anti-Bihar, anti-investment: PM Modi

In poll-bound Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Siwan on Friday (June 20, 2025), and slammed Opposition parties Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal for taking Bihar into the mire, all the while listing work done by the NDA government in the last one decade to take Bihar forward.

Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of several projects worth ₹9.5 thousand crore, and flagged off the Vande Bharat train from Patliputra station in Patna to Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

“RJD-Congress are anti-Bihar, anti-investment. Both have been protectors of mafia raj, goonda raj and corruption in Bihar,” alleged PM Modi while addressing a public meeting at Jasoli in Siwan district of Bihar.

Fourth visit to Bihar in 2025

Since January, this is the fourth visit of Mr. Modi to poll-bound Bihar. State assembly elections are due in Bihar in October-November.

While saying that over four crore people have got pucca (concrete) houses in the country in the last one decade and three crore more will be given to them in coming days, Mr. Modi said, “But still Modi will not take rest and keep working for the poor, dalit, mahadalit, Extremely Backward Class and Other Backward Class people.”

“And, what is of more satisfaction to me is that most of these houses are registered in the name of our mothers and sisters,” he added.

“Free ration, electricity and water are given to them by our government, but those with the symbols of hand and lantern (Congress and RJD) were involved in looting the country, and still they’re looking for an opportunity,” Mr. Modi said while the gathered crowd cheered loudly.

“The poor, dalit, mahadalit, EBC and OBC people got the worst benefit of the welfare measure by these parties in Bihar,” alleged PM Modi.

‘World leaders impressed with India’

Referring to his recent foreign tours, PM Modi said, “All leaders were impressed with the fast progress of India. India will soon become the third most powerful country in the world and Bihar is going to play a pivotal role in this,” he said.

“NDA has shown that poverty could be eradicated from the country as 25 crore people have defeated poverty in the country in last one decade and out of 3.75 crore people are from Bihar,” he added.

Slamming the Opposition RJD, PM Modi said, “They insult Baba Saheb Ambedkar, but I keep Baba Saheb in my heart”. He was referring to the recent controversy in which RJD chief Lalu Prasad was shown with a picture of Baba Saheb Ambedkar placed at his feet.

“For them (RJD and Congress) Parivar ka saath, Parivar ka vikas (benefit for the family) but for us, sabka saath, sabka vikas (benefit for all),” he said.

“Bihar will be a big centre of Make-in-India programme,” he declared.

Development projects

Earlier, Mr. Modi dedicated multiple development projects worth ₹9.5 crore from the dais of the Siwan meeting and also flagged off the Vande Bharat train from Patliputra station in Patna to Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

His visit to Siwan was seen as politically significant for the district as it has a sizeable Muslim, Yadav and Dalit population and is traditionally considered as a stronghold of the RJD.

Siwan also shares its district border with Saran and Gopalganj districts, where the BJP party workers and leaders have been camping for the last few days, inviting people to come to the Prime Minister’s rally.

India’s first President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, was from Ziradei in Siwan and Mr. Modi also invoked the intellectual legacy of Prasad in his address.

Opposition hits back

Slamming Mr. Modi’s visit to Bihar again, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh in a post on social media said, “The PM is in Bihar today. On the basis of the caste survey conducted by the erstwhile INDIA bloc government in Bihar, the Bihar government had proposed 65% reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs and EBCs. This is under challenge in the courts. The double engine government in Bihar has all but given up.”

Mr. Ramesh further said in his post that “the Indian National Congress will take three issues of fundamental importance to social justice and empowerment in the monsoon session of the Parliament that begins on July 21, 2025”.

The three issue he raked up in his post are — to make the Bihar reservation law a part of the ninth schedule of the constitution; amend the constitution to overcome the 50% ceiling for reservations for Schedules castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs and EBCs; and Article 15(5) enables reservations for SCs, STs, OBCs and EBCs in private educational institutions also and this has been unimplemented for the past 11 years after the Supreme Court had upheld the constitutional amendment that was introduced by the Manmohan Singh’s government in 2006.

Mr. Modi had visited the State on January 24, April 24 and May 29-30. He held a road show in Patna on May 29 and addressed a public rally at Bikramganj in Rohtas district the next day, May 30, where he announced that he had come to Bihar after “fulfilling his promise” which he had made after terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

However, a day ahead of PM Modi’s visit to the State, Opposition RJD leader and Tejashwi Yadav who is also Leader of Opposition in State assembly, had taken a jibe saying “the Prime Minister is once again coming to cheat Bihar. He will be here only to abuse Lalu Prasad and me”.

Mr. Yadav also accused PM Modi of avoiding real issues like “unemployment and migration, instead of focusing on abusing his political rivals”.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, too, addressed the meeting in Siwan. All senior NDA leaders and local MLAs were present on the dais along with the Prime Minister.

“The Opposition does unnecessary, uncalled-for advertisements, but that hardly makes any difference,” Mr. Kumar said while slamming the Opposition RJD in the State. He expressed his gratitude for the development measures and benefits provided for the growth of Bihar by the Modi-led NDA government at the Centre.  

Published – June 20, 2025 01:41 pm IST