PATNA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday alleged that the Congress agreed to declare RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as the opposition alliance's chief ministerial candidate after the latter put a "katta" (country-made pistol) to the former's head.
"I am telling you an inside story. A game of 'goondagardi' was played in a closed-door room a day before the withdrawal of nomination papers. The Congress did not want to declare the RJD leader as the CM face of the opposition alliance. The RJD secured it by placing a katta (country-made pistol) on the head of the Congress," PM Modi alleged.
PM Modi also claimed that the Congress was not taken into confidence before preparing the alliance's manifesto and campaign.
"After the elections, the two alliance partners will be breaking each other's heads. Such elements can never do good for Bihar," he alleged.
The prime minister made the comments on the campaign trail in Bihar, where he addressed back-to-back rallies in Bhojpur and Nawada districts.
Without naming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who recently targeted the prime minister for reportedly building a separate pool near the polluted Yamuna river in Delhi to take a dip during the Chhath Puja, Modi accused him of insulting the festival.
"Give him such a punishment that nobody dares to insult the Chhath festival in future," PM Modi said.
He also referred to RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav's comments on the Mahakumbh.
Visibly pleased at the crowd's enthusiasm at the rally, PM Modi took a dig at pollsters by saying, "Those sitting in Delhi should come and see in which direction the wave is blowing in election-bound Bihar."
"'Jungle raj wallahs' are set to get the worst drubbing in history. The people of Bihar have not forgotten the 'jungle raj'," he claimed.
PM Modi alleged that caste-related massacres took place when the RJD and the Congress were in power, as youth from Dalit and extremely backward classes were drafted into Maoism.
"But the NDA government led by Nitish Kumar worked hard to take the state out of the morass and set it on the path of development,” he claimed.
Referring to the NDA’s resolve to develop Bihar and put it on the national map, PM Modi said that in the days to come, Bihar will witness the fast growth of industries.
"Investments will come. Youngsters will get jobs in their own state, as the government has promised to create one crore jobs in the next five years," he added.
In an apparent reference to Rahul Gandhi's 'Voter Adhikar Yatra', Modi alleged it was aimed to protect infiltrators (ghuspaithiye) who must be driven out lest they capture the resources meant for the people of Bihar.
"The 'jungle raj wallahs' have very dangerous intentions. Be aware of them," he alleged. Modi also uttered a proverb in local Bhojpuri dialect, a rough translation of which is "the one responsible for destroying the field is now claiming to sow fresh seeds."
Further targeting Congress, the prime minister alleged that the party "lost sleep" during India's Operation Sindoor against Pakistan.
"When terror hideouts in Pakistan were being bombed, the royal family of Congress was losing sleep. Pakistan and the Congress have still not recovered from the shock of Operation Sindoor," he alleged.
PM Modi also led a mega roadshow in Patna later on Sunday. Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan' of the JD(U), state BJP president Dilip Jaiswal and Patna Sahib MP Ravi Shankar Prasad were also present.
