As Bihar votes for phase one, the PM warned the people of Muzaffarpur about the 'Prince of Jungle Raj' in an apparent reference to Tejashwi Yadav and the 'kidnapping industry' of the past.

 

He also played on the fear psychosis of the crowd by wondering about the fate of the Covid relief fund if a party known for lawlessness returned to power.

 

He went a step further to raise questions on the handling of funds meant for containing the pandemic. "You can imagine what will happen to the funds for Covid-19 if they come to power... What else can residents of Bihar expect from the 'Yuvraj' (prince) of 'Jungle Raj', given their past record?"

 

"Forget about providing government jobs, even the private companies will vanish (if they come)...They have the copyright on the kidnapping industry," warned the PM as the crowd cheered.

 

Giving a glimpse of the lawlessness of the Lalu era to a younger generation who may not be aware of the realities of the time but have the right to vote now, PM Modi said, "The political party which is infamous for closing down industries of Bihar, from whom investors kept distance, is now promising development to the people of the state."

 

This was a dig at RJD's promise of creating 10 lakh jobs and taking it up in the first cabinet meeting itself.

 

Making a case for the BJP-JDU alliance, the Prime Minister told the crowd that it was Bihar's opportunity to re-elect those who pulled the state out of darkness.

 

During the Muzaffarpur rally the Prime Minister also said that their votes will decide how quickly the goals of a self-reliant Bihar can be achieved. In earlier rallies, the PM has been pitching the idea of a self-reliant India via a self-reliant Bihar.