Muzaffarpur, Oct 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday accused leaders of the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of “insulting Chhathi Maiyya” for political gain, asserting that the people of Bihar would “never forgive them for centuries.”
Addressing an election rally in Muzaffarpur — a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s rally in the same town — Modi hit back at Gandhi’s remark that the Prime Minister had staged a “drama” by planning to take a dip in the Yamuna on the occasion of Chhath Puja.
“It is my first visit to Bihar after Chhath Puja, which is now famous across the world. The festival stands for devotion as well as equality — that is why my government is working to get it recognized as a UNESCO heritage festival,” Modi said.
He added that he often listens to Chhath songs during his travels. “I was moved once to hear a Chhath song sung by a girl from Nagaland. But while this son of yours is striving to give Chhath the honour it deserves, the Congress-RJD people are mocking it — calling it a drama and nautanki,” he said, without naming any leader.
Rahul Gandhi had earlier claimed that Modi abandoned his plan to take a dip after discovering that the spot prepared for him was a puddle of piped water, as the Yamuna was too polluted for bathing.
“Look at the depths to which they can stoop for votes,” Modi said. “This is an insult to the festival of Chhath — one that Bihar will not forget for centuries.”
The Prime Minister alleged that the alliance between the RJD and Congress was opportunistic, comparing it to “water and oil.” “They have joined hands only to grab power and loot Bihar. The biggest news of this election is not that I am being abused — it’s that Congress and RJD are fighting among themselves despite being allies,” he said.
Modi also took aim at his opponents, referring to them as naamdar (people with pedigree). “They cannot tolerate that a leader from a backward class, who once sold tea, has reached such heights. My success is not because of their blessings but due to the people’s faith and the Constitution framed by Babasaheb Ambedkar — whom they too insulted,” he remarked.
He claimed that surveys showed the NDA heading for a “historic victory,” while the RJD-Congress combine faced a “humiliating defeat.”
“The RJD-Congress alliance stands for five Ks — katta (lawlessness), kroorta (cruelty), katuta (social resentment), kushasan (misgovernance), and corruption,” he alleged. Modi also expressed concern over the “kind of songs played at RJD rallies,” saying they glorified violence and lawlessness.
Recalling Bihar’s past under the RJD regime, Modi said that “35,000 to 40,000 abductions took place” during that period, and “goons used to loot vehicle showrooms.”
In contrast, he said, the NDA government stands for “preserving cultural heritage and ensuring all-round development.”
Beginning his speech with chants of “Phir ek baar NDA sarkar” and “Phir ek baar susashan sarkar,” Modi praised the local culture, speaking a few lines in the Vajjika dialect and lauding Muzaffarpur for its “sweet language” and “famous shahi litchi.” He also paid tribute to freedom fighter Khudiram Bose and writers Ram Vriksh Benipuri and Janaki Vallabh Shastri.
Modi further targeted the RJD over the “land-for-jobs scam” involving party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and the INDIA bloc’s chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav, and mentioned the 2001 “Golu murder case,” in which the kidnapping and killing of an eight-year-old boy had shocked north Bihar.
