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Kickstarting the National Democratic Alliance's poll campaign in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today focussed his attack on former BJP ally and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, accusing him of "back-stabbing" the people of the state and alleging that there is some problem with his "DNA".
Modi also targeted Kumar for allying with the Rashtriya Janata Dal, saying he was trying to drag the state back to the 'jungle raj', and asked the voters to reject such people as they "cannot be trusted" again and elect NDA with a two-third majority for changing Bihar's fate.
He said Bihar will be given a special package "bigger" than Rs 50,000 crore which he had promised earlier and that will be announced after the end of Monsoon session of
Parliament as his "lips are sealed till then".
Addressing a public meeting here, he said Kumar practices "political untouchability" as he recalled how the Janata Dal-United leader had refused to entertain him after inviting him over dinner and had snapped ties with BJP because of his dislike towards him two years back.
Modi took a dig at Lalu for his comments about "drinking poison", which was made in an apparent reference to his accepting Kumar's leadership. He said while he had chosen to do so for his "vested interest", why was he forcing the people of Bihar to "drink poison" along with him.
"During the last elections, Kumar had said that if he was unable to provide electricity to entire Bihar, he would not come to ask for votes again in 2015...But have you got the electricity? It has not come. But he has come to ask for votes. He betrayed your trust. Forget me, he even back-stabbed you. Such people cannot be trusted again," he said.
Seeking to play a dalit card, he said Kumar had practised "political untouchability" not only towards him but also a "mahadalit" former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, an erstwhile leader of the JD-U, who has since joined the NDA.
He said even George Fernandes, former associate of Nitish Kumar, and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, were not treated well by him even though they had worked shoulder-to-shoulder with him.
"There seems to be some problem in his DNA because the DNA of democracy is not like that. In democracy, you give respect even to your political rivals," he said.
Modi, on his first visit to the state since becoming the prime minister in June last year, referred to Kumar's parting of ways with BJP to protest his projection as the NDA's prime ministerial candidate two years back and said the chief minister had "strangulated" the state's progress because of his dislike for him.
"I can understand that you may not like one person, you may not like his face. There can be political rivalry. But if you were so much against me, you could have slapped me or strangulated me in a room.
"But, just for one person, you strangulated the progress of Bihar. Is this how democracy functions? In politics, there can be differences. I am pained, not because what you did to me, but what for what you did for the people of Bihar," he said.
Referring to the public detest expressed by Kumar towards him, Modi recalled, "The chief minister had invited me over dinner. But then snatched my plate."
He was talking about a dinner planned to be hosted by Kumar in 2010 for BJP leaders who were assembling in Patna for National Executive meeting but cancelled it at the last moment after advertisements appeared showing him and Modi with hands clutched.
"It hurt me badly but I kept quiet and never spoke about it. Lalu is saying now that he had to drink poison, I drank poison then," Modi said and asked, "Should such untouchability be practised in politics?"
Addressing Kumar, he said people of Bihar had supported him to free the state from 'jungle raj', an apparent reference to Lalu's tenure, and said "today, you want to push Bihar again to jungle raj (by associating with Lalu)."
Asking voters whether they would support such "DNA", the prime minister said, "Will you forgive them? We cannot leave Bihar in the hands of such elements. We won't let jungle raj to return to Bihar. We should take a pledge on this."
He then went on to describe the RJD as "Rozana Jungle Raj Ka Darr" and said the people should not allow it to return to Bihar.
There is no discussion in Bihar about developmental issues like roads, water and power but the discourse was concentrated on "snakes" and "poison", he said, in an apparent dig at Kumar and Lalu who had made such comments recently.
"Who is snake and who is not, who drinks poison and who is making the other drink. That is your internal matter. You should decide that between yourselves in a room. Don't force people of Bihar to drink this poison," Modi said.
Modi also took a dig at Kumar for his tweet just before he landed in Bihar, saying the chief minister had welcomed his arrival with a complaint that he was visiting the state after 14 months.
"Chief minister, I am grateful for the welcome...How times change...There was a time when you used to say that 'we already have one Modi (Sushil Kumar), so what is the need for another Modi to come to Bihar," he said, while recalling how Kumar had been strongly resisting his entry into the state.
"But, see today, how much one can be troubled by separation from the loved ones...When you love somebody so much, even a day's separation is too much... Don't worry, I have come now. There will be no further separation," Modi said in comments full of sarcasm.
Responding to Kumar's dig at him for coming after 14 months, Modi said, "the last Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) visited the state only once in 10 years, that too for an aerial survey. But my coming here after 14 months is too much for him."
Seeking a two-third mandate for the NDA in Bihar in the assembly polls expected later this year, he told the voters that they had tried every other party and formation and should give the BJP-led coalition a chance this time.
"I have come here to change the fate of Bihar," he said.
Modi said Bihar will prosper if the NDA is in power, both at the Centre and in the state, as he promised all support from his government to take the state to new heights, with 24-hour power supply.
In this context, he said Bihar has huge potential because of its resources but it has been pushed to backwardness and there have been no efforts to develop it.
"Some people make promises and back out later. When you remind them, they feel bad about it. We make promises and fulfill them," the prime minister said, while talking about according 'Special Category' status to Bihar.
Noting that he had promised to give a special package of Rs 50,000 crore to the state during Lok Sabha polls, he said that after becoming the prime minister, he had realised that the amount is not sufficient.
"I had envisioned a picture of a developed Bihar. The amount of Rs 50,000 crore will not be sufficient for it. That is why I have decided to give a bigger package. But since the Parliament is in session, my lips are sealed. Once the Parliament session ends, I will again come and tell you how much it is," the prime minister said, adding "This is just the beginning."
Happy over the gathering at the rally, Modi said it reflected that the NDA would get even a bigger mandate in the assembly elections than the Lok Sabha polls, when the alliance got 33 out of 40.