Article 370, Ladakh standoff: BJP back to patriotic card in poll-bound Bihar

PATNA: In an apparent shift of strategy barely a week ahead of the first phase of Bihar polls, the BJP has taken its campaign beyond local issues.

On Wednesday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and UP CM Yogi Adityanath sought to aggressively sell emotional national issues.

Rajnath spoke at length about the sacrifices of Bihar Regiment’s brave soldiers in the stand-off with China in eastern Ladakh, the abrogation of Article 370 and Pakistan-backed terrorism.

The UP CM took up Ram temple in Ayodhya and the move to ban triple talaq.

The Defence Minister was in Bhagalpur’s Kahalgaon where he hit out at the Congress for having ruined the country through politics of appeasement and “adoration” of China and Pakistan.

“I bow before the mothers of all those brave soldiers of Bihar Regiment who laid down their lives and saved the pride and glory of the country when China attempted to infiltrate into our territory,” Singh said, declaring that not even an inch of the country’s land can be grabbed by any power.

“Rahul Gandhi claims had the Congress government been at the Centre, it would have chased away China. But what was done in 1962?” he questioned.

“Our PM has fulfilled his promises on almost all national issues. In the same way, the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government has delivered on law and order and steps to check corruption. We’ll do more for the state.” CM Yogi Adityanath invoked Lord Ram and said the BJP neither spares nor forgives anyone who creates terror or disruption from across the border. 

He said the Congress had made a system where no Bihari could buy land in Kashmir. But the PM has made it possible, and any Indian can now settle in Kashmir with certain conditions.

The UP CM said that whosoever will promote terrorism from across the border or anywhere will face tough action from India.

Nitish fumes as crowd raises slogans for Lalu

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar lost his cool when some RJD supporters raised slogans of ‘Lalu Zindabad’ at a poll rally. A livid Nitish asked the group not to do so.

“Jiske liye nare laga rahe ho, uske liye ye hani hi karega. (It will only harm the person for whom you are raising slogans),” he said.

This is not the first time that Nitish had to face such an uncomfortable situation in the recent few days.

On Tuesday when he reached the LJP office to attend the ‘shraddh’ of Ram Vilas Paswan, some LJP workers raised slogans in support of Chirag Paswan in front of him.