He slammed the Congress-led opposition for 'raising fear about Pakistan's atomic power' (File)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday linked the upcoming general election to the battle of Mahabharata and said that two camps are contesting Lok Sabha polls, one of 'Pandavas' represented by NDA alliance and the other of 'Kauravas' represented by INDIA bloc.
He also took a potshot at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's foreign vacations adding that he cannot develop 'Bihar and Madhubani' as he goes on vacation to Bangkok and Thailand during summer.
Addressing a public rally in Bihar's Madhubani, Mr Shah said, "Can Rahul Baba develop Bihar and Madhubani? 'Ye to thodi garmi badhte hi Bangkok, Thailand Chhutti pe chale jate hain'. And PM Modi on the other hand, is celebrating Diwali on the borders with our soldiers. Just like Mahabharat, there are clear camps on both sides, one of Pandavas and the other of Kauravas."
Mr Shah used the battle, fought between members of the same dynastic clan where the Kauravas represented the unvirtuous, and the Pandavas stood for principles as an allegory to define the present-day electoral contest between the NDA and the INDIA bloc.
He slammed the Congress-led opposition for 'raising fear about Pakistan's atomic power', and said that the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) belongs to India and the country will take it back.
Lashing out at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over his remarks on the "relevance" of Jammu and Kashmir at a Rajasthan rally, Mr Shah said even after crossing 80 years of age, the former could not understand India.
"Is Kashmir ours or not? Mallikarjun Kharge asks what do people of Rajasthan and Bihar have to do with Kashmir. Kharge Saheb, you crossed 80 years of age but could not understand India. INDI alliance said that 370 should not be removed. Rahul Baba said that rivers of blood will flow. Rahul Baba, no one can even pelt a pebble," he said.
"INDI alliance says that we should not speak of PoK as Pakistan has an atom bomb. India is so strong under PM Modi's leadership that there is no need to fear any atomic bomb. 'Pak occupied Kashmir hamara hai, rahega aur usko hum lekar rahenge'," the Home Minister added.
At a rally in Rajasthan earlier, Mr Kharge referred to PM Modi's recent speech in the state and mentioned the scrapping of Article 370 and said it was not Rajasthan's issue but of Jammu and Kashmir.
He further promised the people of the state they would not allow cow smuggling or slaughter here.
"Cases of cow slaughter used to come from this area in huge numbers. I want to assure you, make PM Modi the prime minister for the third time, 'Gau Hatya karne walo ko ulta latka kar sidha karne ka kaam karenge.' This is the land of Mother Sita, cow slaughter is unacceptable here. We will not allow cow smuggling or slaughter here. This is Narendra Modi's promise," Mr Shah said.
The incumbent MP from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Ashok Kumar Yadav, will contest against the Rashtriya Janata Dal's (RJD) Md Ali Ashraf Fatmi, who is contesting as part of the INDIA bloc from Madhubani.
Notably, the 40 seats in Bihar are undergoing polls in all seven phases. In 2019, BJP-led NDA swept the state by winning 39 out of 40 seats, while Congress won just one seat. RJD, a formidable force in the state failed to open its account.
The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)