Bihar election: A day after poll debacle, Rahul calls on Kharge

On NDA winning the Bihar elections, Union minister Chirag Paswan says, “... Yesterday, they (Opposition) stated that an atmosphere similar to that of Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka will be created in India. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi repeatedly says that Gen Z should play their role. This is provocative politics... Finding fault with every issue, blaming EVMs, and blaming officials. Had they spent as much time on their own assessment as they did on finding fault, Congress and RJD would likely have achieved something better... No Bihari tolerates personal comments that go below the limits... The Mahagathbandhan has suffered losses due to this repeatedly...”

On AIMIM winning five seats in the Bihar Elections, party chief Asaduddin Owaisi says, “I want to thank the people of Seemanchal from the bottom of my heart for making our five candidates win again... We started this fight for Seemanchal 11 years ago, and we are still fighting for justice for Seemanchal... I want to congratulate Naveen Yadav for winning the Jubilee Hills by-elections and also thank CM Revanth Reddy, who congratulated me for today’s victory in Bihar... I was expecting NDA to win big, but not as big as 200... Whatever it is, it is the verdict of the people of Bihar, and we have to accept it wholeheartedly. I congratulate Nitish Kumar as well, and if he really wants to focus on developing Seemanchal, we will have constructive cooperation... I will continue to visit Seemanchal...”

Bihar gave India “the pride of being the mother of democracy”, says Narendra Modi at a meeting of BJP workers. “Bihar has once again shown that lies lose, people’s trust wins. Bihar has made it clear that people will not support those who are out on bail.”

“Earlier, there was no election in Bihar where repolling did not take place. For instance, before 2005, repolling happened at hundreds of places. In 1995, repolling took place at more than 1500 polling stations. But as the jungle raj ended, the situation started improving, and in both phases of this election, there was no need for repolling anywhere. This time, the voting was peaceful...,” he added.

Taking a swipe at the Congress, which managed to win/lead in a mere six seats, Modi said, “I have previously warned Congress allies from this very platform that the Congress is a liability. Congress is a parasite that wants to make a comeback by swallowing the vote bank of its allies...”

“Today, the Congress has become MMC — Muslim League-Maoist-Congress — and the entire agenda of the Congress now revolves around this, and therefore, within the Congress as well, a separate faction is emerging that is uncomfortable with this negative politics...I fear that there could be another major split in the Congress...”

“Even the Congress allies are beginning to understand that the Congress is drowning everyone in its negative politics. That is why, during the Bihar elections, I said that the ‘naamdar’ of the Congress (Rahul Gandhi) is practising to drown himself and others in the Bihar elections by taking a dip in the pond.”

Narendra Modi expressed his gratitude to the people of Nagrota in Jammu and Kashmir and Nuapada in Odisha for ensuring the BJP’s victory in the by-elections. “Today is not just a victory for the NDA, it is also a victory for democracy. It is a victory for those who believe in Indian democracy,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday praised the Election Commission at a BJP meeting to celebrate the Bihar win. “This election has further strengthened the public's trust in the Election Commission of India,” he said.

“The consistently high voter turnout over the past few years, the increased turnout by the deprived and the exploited, is a significant achievement for the Election Commission. This is the same Bihar that was once dominated by Maoist terror. Voting used to end at 3 pm in Naxal-affected areas. But in this election, people in Bihar have voted without fear, with enthusiasm and excitement,” he said.

“You also know what used to happen in Bihar during the times of Jungle Raj? Violence used to occur openly at polling stations. Ballot boxes were looted. Today, the same Bihar is seeing record voter turnout. It is voting peacefully. Everyone’s vote has been recorded. Everyone has cast their vote as per their choice...,” he added.

Evoking “Chhathi Maiya” like he did in his campaign speeches, Modi said, “...To date, Congress and RJD have not apologised to Chhathi Maiya. The people of Bihar will never forget this. Bihar’s pride and honour, this is our priority.”

He added that the BJP government is striving to include Chhath Puja in the UNESCO Heritage List. “The goal is to connect the entire country and the world with this culture through its significance.”

“Last year, the people of the country gave their mandate to the NDA for the third consecutive time. This was the result of the nation’s trust and the blessings of the countrymen. And after the Lok Sabha elections, we also won assembly elections in many states with a resounding majority,” he said, listing the achievements.

“Haryana, the land that promoted the spirit of Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, gave us the opportunity to serve for the third consecutive time. We won a resounding victory in Maharashtra, the holy land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Babasaheb Ambedkar, and Veer Savarkar. Maharashtra made us victorious for the third consecutive time. We won with a majority in the national capital after 25 years. And today, in Bihar, where such a large population lives in rural areas, we have won with such overwhelming numbers...,” he added.

“The people of Bihar have played a huge role in India’s development. But those who ruled the country for decades always created a false image of Bihar. These people defamed Bihar. They neither respected Bihar’s glorious past, nor its traditions and culture, nor its people...,” he added.

“Some parties in Bihar had created the appeasement formula of MY (Muslim-Yadav). But today's victory has given a new positive MY formula, and that is Mahila and Youth. Today, Bihar is among those states of the country which have the highest number of youth, and this includes youth from every religion and every caste. Their desire, their aspiration and their dreams have completely destroyed the old communal MY formula of the Jungle Raj people...”

“Jai Chhathi Maiya,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his address at a BJP meeting to celebrate the NDA’s victory in the Bihar elections.

“...We are the servants of the people. We keep making the people happy with our hard work and we have stolen the hearts of the people. And that is why the entire Bihar has said ‘Phir ek baar NDA Sarkar’...,” says Modi.

“...When I used to speak about Jungle Raj and Katta Sarkar in Bihar elections, the RJD raised no objections. But it hurt the people of Congress. Today, I want to reiterate that Katta Sarkar will never return to Bihar...The people of Bihar have voted for Viksit Bihar...,” he added.