Amit Shah To Address Rally In Bihar Tomorrow

Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah will be arriving in the politically crucial state of Bihar and addressing a mega-rally at Lakhisarai in Munger Lok Sabha constituency, party officials said.

Amit Shah, who last visited the state nearly three months ago, will be visiting Bihar for the first time since the meeting of opposition leaders in Patna, hosted by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar last week.

"The honourable Home Minister will reach Patna tomorrow afternoon and take a helicopter for Lakhisarai. He will offer prayers at Ashok Dham, a famous shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati, before addressing a public meeting," state BJP president Samrat Choudhary told PTI.

"All people of the state, in particular Munger Lok Sabha constituency under which Lakhisarai falls, are welcome to attend Shah's public meeting where he is likely to expound on the progress made by the country under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership," added the state BJP chief.

However, the ruling Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, comprising JD(U), RJD, Congress and the Left, who have been riding high on the success of the opposition meet, launched a counter-offensive.

JD(U) national general secretary and spokesman Rajib Ranjan came out with a list of "12 questions" which, he hoped, Amit Shah would answer in his speech on Thursday.

The questions related to past electoral promises of BJP like two crore jobs every year and doubling of farmers' income, besides complaints about the Centre's refusal to accept the state government's demands like "one nation, one tariff" in the power sector and central status to Patna University.

RJD spokesman Mrityunjay Tiwari said "ever since Bihar was having the so-called double engine government, Shah never bothered about the state. But he seems to have grown obsessed with Bihar ever since the BJP was thrown out".

Theb BJP party's leader in the state legislature, Vijay Kumar Sinha, who is also the MLA from Lakhisarai, explained to journalists in his constituency the political significance of the venue for the rally.

"Munger Lok Sabha segment has always been remembered for its association with Bihar's first Chief Minister Shri Krishna Singh. Today, the local MP is sitting in the lap of the RJD," alleged Sinha. The Lok Sabha seat is currently held by Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan', the national president of Nitish Kumar's JD(U).

Lalan belongs to the 'Bhumihar' caste, which has been traditionally averse to RJD and its founder Lalu Prasad and always hero-worshipped 'Shri babu', as the first Bihar Chief Minister  is commonly known, as a hero of the clan.

Notably, Munger is also a Lok Sabha seat which has been won by the BJP-led NDA many times but where the saffron party is yet to field its own candidate.

Lalan has won the seat twice, with the BJP as his party's ally on both occasions.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)