‘Progressing Bihar' turned into 'sinking Bihar' under Lalu’s rule, says BJP chief Nadda

BJP national president JP Nadda on Saturday launched a scathing attack at RJD chief Lalu Yadav, saying that progress of the state of Bihar hampered during the latter's rule.

"Lalu’s rule turned a progressing Bihar into a sinking Bihar. There was a time when stepping out after 5 pm became difficult, but under the NDA government, Bihar has reached new heights of development," Nadda said while addressing the "Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat Sneh Milan Samaroh" organised on the occasion of Bihar Diwas at Dr Ambedkar International Centre in Delhi.

The BJP president recalled his childhood and teenage years spent in Bihar, mentioning how he had witnessed the construction of Gandhi Setu over the Ganges — a project that took decades to complete.

"Today, Bihar has a Marine Drive along the Ganga river, and a newly built bridge over it. The state has also seen a vast expansion of road and rail networks," he said.

Nadda highlighted that when the NDA government came to power in Bihar in 2005, the rural road network in the state was only 384 km long, whereas today, Bihar has over 1,12,000 km of roads. "Several expressways have also been constructed in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gifted Bihar with IIT-Patna," he said. He added that soon, Asia's biggest hospital will also be built in Patna.

The BJP chief also gave reference of recently concluded Delhi Assembly elections where AAP was ousted from power by the BJP and termed AAP's tenure as a "rule of darkness".

"Before the BJP government came to power, Delhi had been under “AAP” government for 10 years, during which it was a period of complete darkness — an 'amavasya'. The city was not moving towards development, but towards destruction," he said, adding that the BJP has provided Delhi with a new direction and a brighter future.