Amit Shah warns of ‘jungle raj’ if RJD returns to power in Bihar

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday (November 1) raked up the "high-handedness" of Sadhu Yadav, former Bihar CM Rabri Devi's estranged brother, to warn people of the poll-bound state that "jungle raj" will come back if Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) returned to power.

Shah expressed his disappointment, virtually, that he could not reach the venue to address the voters in person, owing to bad weather. He was scheduled to address an election rally in Gopalganj district.

Shah warns of return of 'jungle raj'

In his speech, Shah said that this election was an opportunity to decide who should be entrusted with the future of Bihar.

"On the one hand are those who had ushered in 'jungle raj'. On the other hand is the duo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Nitish Kumar, who have brought development," he said.

Also Read: Nitish Kumar says he worked for Bihar, not family, ahead of 2025 polls

"The people of Gopalganj have never voted for the RJD after 2002. I am sure they will keep up the trend. Nobody knows the misdeeds of Sadhu Yadav better than the people of Gopalganj," he added.

Yadav, who had been both the MLA and the MP from Gopalganj, was known to have wielded tremendous clout while his sister, Rabri Devi, ruled the state.

Shah recalls Rabri Devi's rule

One of the incidents attributed to him was forcibly driving away cars from a showroom during the wedding of Rabri Devi’s eldest daughter, Misa Bharti, in 1999. PM Narendra Modi too mentioned this incident at a rally earlier this week, though he did not name anyone.

Also Read: Bihar’s coalition arithmetic gets more complex ahead of elections

Another incident in which Yadav's name cropped up was the Shilpi Gautam murder case that took place in the same year. It was recently in the news when Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor alleged the complicity of Samrat Choudhary, then an RJD leader who is now with the BJP and currently the Deputy Chief Minister of the state, in the case.

The home minister also listed the names of the villages in central Bihar which had made headlines during the RJD rule for massacres that took place in an era when several districts of the state were in the throes of a bloody feud between outlawed Naxal groups and private militias of privileged caste landlords.

NDA manifesto

Shah, who spoke for a little over five minutes, also reiterated the promises made by the ruling NDA in the manifesto.

Also Read: Arrogance or ground realities? Why Tejashwi spurned Owaisi's alliance overtures

"There are two major things in the manifesto - one for farmers and one for women, which I want to reiterate. Recently, Nitish Kumar and PM Modi have deposited Rs 10,000 into the accounts of 1.41 crore 'Jeevika Didis'. They will send up to Rs 2 lakh to all Jeevika Didis in different ways. Second, we give Rs 6,000 per year to 27 lakh farmers of Bihar. Now, we will add Rs 3,000 to this and give Rs 9,000," he said.

Shah also said that all the sugar mills in the state will be reopened in the next five years.