PM: RJD, Cong like oil & water, can never unite

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the opposition RJD and the Congress had come together in their “lust for power”, but were as different as oil and water which could never unite.

“The real news in the Bihar elections is not the abuses being hurled at me, but the scale of differences between the RJD and the Congress. Their alliance is like that of oil and water. They are in one glass, but can never truly merge and mix. RJD workers are pushing and shoving Congress workers, and Congress workers are doing the same to those from the RJD,” Modi said while addressing rallies in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur and later at Chhapra.

Describing the opposition CM candidate Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD and Congress’ Rahul Gandhi as “royal scions out on bail”, Modi asked the state voters if they would “ever again permit them to plunder Bihar”. “Two royal scions out on bail came together yesterday and tried to show cohesion, as if 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 allow these scions on bail to plunder the state?” the PM asked. He said the RJD and the Congress were “underestimating the intellect of the Biharis”.

The PM also predicted a historic mandate for the ruling NDA comprising the JD(U), BJP, LJP (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha and the Rashtriya Lok Manch. “All surveys are pointing to the RJD-Congress’ worst-ever show this time,” he said.

Pitching the ruling dispensation as a Narendra-Nitish team, the PM said, “Narendra and Nitish are committed to fulfilling the dreams of the people of the state and have always worked for women’s empowerment.”

Another dominant thread in the PM’s remarks related to the BJP’s “jungle raj” charge on the RJD. Contrasting the election campaigns of the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan, the PM said, “Their (opposition’s) campaign songs are also replete with references of ‘chhura’ (knives), ‘katta’ (country-made guns) and ‘dunalis’ (rifles). For me, this is unthinkable... Katta, krurta, katuta, kushashan and corruption are the five identities of the RJD’s jungle raj in Bihar,” the PM said in Muzaffarpur.

He said the choice of words in canvassing mirrored the mindset of opposition parties. “During the recent ‘GST saving festival’, Bihar youth bought 1.5 lakh bikes in a show of rising aspirations. On the other hand, showrooms were looted when the RJD was in power,” the PM said, adding the world-famous festival marking the worship of Chhathi Maiyya was a “drama” for the RJD and the Congress.

The PM also launched a tirade against the opposition alliance for promising “the unachievable”. “Yeh itna phenk rahe hain ke inke apne samarthakon ko bhi nahi pach raha (even their supporters are finding it hard to stomach the falsehoods they are peddling),” he said.