'RJD, Congress like oil and water, out for power at any cost': PM Modi in Bihar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress had joined forces out of a desire for power but were fundamentally different, describing their relationship as “oil and water.”

“The actual news in the Bihar election cycle is not the abuses being hurled at me. The actual news is the scale of differences between RJD and Congress,” he said while addressing a rally in Muzaffarpur.

Comparing the two opposition allies to ‘oil and water’, Modi added, “They are in one glass but are not merging. RJD workers are upstaging Congress workers and vice versa.”

He also referred to the opposition chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as “two royal scions out on bail”, asking ‘voters whether they would allow these scions to plunder Bihar again’.

“Two yuvrajs (royal scions) out on bail yesterday tried to show there are no differences between them, but the reality is different. They have come together only in their lust for power, to capture power at any cost so that these corrupt families can again loot Bihar. Will you again permit these scions to plunder the state?” he asked, adding that the RJD and Congress were underestimating the intellect of Biharis.

Predicting a historic mandate for the ruling NDA, which includes JD(U), BJP, LJP (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha, and Rashtriya Lok Manch, Modi said: “RJD-Congress are about to register their worst-ever loss in Bihar. Every survey is indicating this.”

Pitching the ruling alliance as a team of Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, the Prime Minister highlighted their efforts for women’s empowerment, saying, “Narendra and Nitish have always worked for women’s empowerment.”

He referenced a scheme under which women voters in Bihar received Rs 10,000 directly in their accounts to support women’s enterprise.

The Prime Minister also revisited the BJP’s “jungle raj” campaign against the RJD, contrasting it with the opposition’s poll materials.

“Their campaign songs are replete with references of chhura (knives), katta (country-made guns), and dunali (rifles). For me it is unthinkable that even their poll canvassing materials symbolise violence. This mirrors their mindset,” said Modi.

He questioned the opposition’s ambitious poll promises, including one job per household, saying: “Yeh itna phenk rahe hain ke inke samarthakon ko bhi nahi pach raha (even their supporters are finding it hard to stomach the falsehoods they are peddling).”