Surat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated Saturday that Bihar voters had rejected what he termed the “Muslim League-Maoist Congress” combination and opposition parties promoting what he described as the “poison of casteism.”
Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, he said even the Congress’ nationalist leaders who had worked with former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were sad due to the actions of the “namdar”.
Modi was speaking at a programme organised by Bihar natives living in Gujarat’s Surat city to felicitate him for the landslide victory of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the assembly polls in the eastern state.
He said the Congress’ spate of electoral defeats in the last decade is a matter of introspection for that party.
“The country has already rejected this ‘Muslim League-Maoist Congress’ — MMC. Many nationalist leaders from the Congress who once worked with Indiraji and Rajivji are also unhappy with the actions of the ‘namdar’,” said the PM, hinting at Rahul Gandhi.
The PM said many Congress leaders have started saying that it is now difficult to save the party.
The NDA decimated the Mahagathbandhan, an alliance of Congress, RJD and other parties, in the Bihar assembly elections, the results of which were declared Friday, winning over 200 seats in the 243-member House. The Congress won only six seats.
“That those who ruled for 50-60 years end up like this in a decade or two is clearly a matter of introspection for them,” said the PM.
He credited the NDA’s sweeping victory to the “MY” — ‘Mahila’ and ‘Yuva’ (women and youth) — voters of Bihar.
Without taking names, Modi said some political leaders who are out on bail tried hard to win the election through caste-based politics.
“These ‘jamanati’ (out on bail) politicians in Bihar used all their energy to spread the poison of casteism. They thought this would be enough to achieve victory. The Bihar elections have completely rejected that poison of casteism. This is a very bright sign for the country,” said Modi.
All sections of society in all regions of Bihar gave unanimous support to the NDA, he said, adding that there is a massive 10 per cent difference in vote share between the winning coalition and the Opposition in Bihar.
“Out of 38 seats dominated by the Dalit community, the NDA won 34 of them. It shows that the Dalit community rejected the Opposition,” he said.
In Bihar, ‘Waqfs’ (permanent dedication of property for religious or charitable purposes in Islamic law) were created by illegally occupying land and seizing houses, he claimed. In Tamil Nadu, villages that are thousands of years old were declared Waqf properties, the prime minister said.
Since concerns had been raised across the country, the Centre passed the Waqf law in Parliament recently, he said.
“During the Bihar elections, these jamanati politicians and their associates publicly tore up the Waqf bill and declared that if they won, they would not allow the law to be implemented. The people of Bihar have also completely rejected this communal poison,” said the PM.
Modi said since the Congress is unable to explain the reasons for the defeat to its allies or to its own party members, they have chosen the “easy” way by blaming the EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines), the Election Commission (EC) and the voter list revision.
“They have found a way to make excuses. This excuse may keep them afloat for a while, but their cadre will not accept them for long,” said Modi. The Congress’ priority is neither this country nor its people, and its future, he said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been alleging “vote chori” in state polls and accusing the EC of colluding with the BJP to ensure the party’s victory.
Modi claimed that even some young Congress MPs or those from the Opposition INDIA bloc fear that their careers will end as they don’t get a chance to speak because a leader keeps talking about “locking Parliament”.
He said the people of Bihar did not like the way CM Nitish Kumar was “insulted”.
“You must have seen the scenes in the Bihar assembly over the past two or three years. It became a fashion to insult Nitish Kumar. Lewd words were used for him, similar to those uttered by the other ‘namdar’ leader in Parliament, breaking all decorum,” said the PM, without naming anyone.