Prime Minister Narendra Modi took on the INDIA bloc saying that since the opposition alliance is aware of their upcoming defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, they have now started targeting Lord Ram.
"The INDI alliance knows that it is going to stand nowhere in the elections. Seeing their defeat in front of them, now they have targeted Lord Ram," PM Modi said addressing a rally in Bihar's Bettiah as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) preparations for the Lok Sabha polls.
PM Modi said on Wednesday that people in Bihar are witness to how the alliance is opposing Lord Ram and is against the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya.
"In Bettiah, people experience Sita, Lav and Kush. The people of Bihar are seeing how the members of the INDI alliance are speaking against Lord Ram and the Ram Temple. The people of Bihar are also seeing who is standing with those who are insulting Lord Ram," the Prime Minister said.
Hitting out at the opposition by calling them "parivaarvadis" (dynasts) for allegedly confining Lord Ram Lalla to a tent, PM Modi said that they even have a problem when the country is paying respect to its own culture.
"These parivaarvadis kept Ram Lalla in a tent for decades and worked hard to stop the construction of Ram Temple. These parivaarvadis kept trying hard so that the Ram Mandir could not be constructed. Today, the country is paying respect to its own culture. These people even have a problem with that," the Prime Minister said.
Referring to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) government that ruled Bihar for about 14 years between 1990 and 2005, PM Modi said that "one family prospered" and youth had to go out of state to earn their livelihood.
"After independence, Bihar has faced a major challenge, which is youths migrating from here to other cities. When Jungle Raj came in here, this out-migration accelerated. Those who brought Jungle Raj here, have only thought of their own families and put the future of lakhs of children in Bihar at stake," Prime Minister Modi said hitting out at the RJD.
"My young friends from Bihar kept going to other cities in other states to earn their living, and here only one family continued to flourish. How was land grabbed in lieu of jobs? Can anyone forgive them?" PM Modi added.
Earlier, PM Modi unveiled multiple development projects worth around Rs 12,800 crore in Bettiah.
Bihar Chief Minister and JDU leader Nitish Kumar rejoined the BJP-led NDA in January this year after breaking his ties with the RJD.
With a few days remaining until the announcement of Lok Sabha polls, the tough battle in the state will be fought between the NDA and the Mahagthbandhan, which includes the RJD and the Congress as the key players.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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