Amit Shah will address a public meeting in Lauria under Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha Constituency. (File)
As Union Home Minister Amit Shah is visiting Bihar to address a rally, state Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday took a swipe at BJP leader and said that he is visiting the state repeatedly due to fear of losing seats in the state during 2024 general elections as it contributes 40 seats in Lok Sabha.
The political temperature of Bihar is soaring as Amit Shah will visit two places and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav will hold a joint rally of the 'Mahagathbandhan'.
Amit Shah will address a public meeting in Lauria under Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha Constituency with an aim to strengthen the party.
On the other hand, the Grand Alliance is also set to hold a mega rally at Purnia in the eastern part of the state in its bid to show its strength and give a message to Shah. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, Congress State President Akhilesh Prasad Singh, and other leaders of Grand Alliance are likely to be present.
Speaking to ANI, Tejashwi Yadav said, "Today we are holding a 'jansabha', and lakhs of people are going to turn up. Our grand alliance with CM Nitish Kumar made BJP anxious, they fear that they'll lose their seats, that's why HM Amit Shah is visiting Bihar again & again to gain control."
The RJD, which is the largest constituent of the "Mahagathbandhan", has alleged that Amit Shah's visit will "accomplish little".
Alleging that the BJP is indulged in "creating riots", the Bihar Deputy Chief Minister said that the people of the state have decided to oust the party from power in the Lok Sabha elections slated next year.
"BJP has one job in the nation, to spread hate in the society & create riots. On the other side, we will give out a message of peace and harmony. Amit Shah should tell why did the government duped Bihar in the Budget. Why is there no special package for Bihar? The people of Bihar have decided to remove the BJP from power in 2024," he said.
Asked about the effect of JD(U) leader Upendra Kushwaha parting ways from the grand alliance and floating his new party instead, he said that the move will hardly have any impact in the elections.
"Does anybody else have votes? Only Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav have votes. Nothing else will have any impact. We have only one aim that is to defeat the communal forces in 2024 and oust them from power," he said.
Talking about the Opposition unity and speculations of more alliance leaders joining the BJP, Tejashwi said that all the leaders are united and will win in 2024.
"Is this the work of the Home Minister? Nothing is going to work in Bihar. The Mahagathbandhan will contest unitedly and win. This is why they are repeatedly visiting Bihar," he said.
Meanwhile, Shah will address a public rally today in the Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha seat. He will then chair the Core Committee meeting of Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha seat. State BJP President Sanjay Jaiswal, Union Minister for State Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, senior BJP leaders of Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha, local MP, MLAs, and district BJP president to be present in the meeting.
Home Minister Amit Shah will then go to Lauria Nandangarh, where Prince Siddhartha (Mahatma Buddha) shed his royal robes and went out searching for knowledge.
After that Union Home Minister will head towards the capital Patna to address a Kisan Mazdoor Samagam at Bapu Sabhagar in honour of Swami Sahjanand Saraswati, who was one of the top farmer leaders in the country.
Notably, this would be Amit Shah's fourth trip to Bihar since the BJP and Janata Dal (U) ended their partnership and the JD(U) formed the Grand Alliance in the state last year in the month of August.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)