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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday made a scathing attack on Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad on his home turf, calling him a "tantrik" (occultist) and his party "Rashtriya Jadu Tona Party" as he reached out to the youth and weaker sections, promising a six-point programme for the state's development.
Amid indications that the caste and reservation debate dominating the polls scenario in Bihar could be detrimental to National Democratic Alliances’ prospects, the prime minister raised the development pitch promising "bijli-paani-sadak" (electricity, road and water) and "kamai, padhai, and dawai" (earning, education and medicines) for each family in the state.
Blaming "Bade bhaai (Lalu) and Chhote Bhaai (Nitish Kumar) for problems plaguing the state, Modi insisted that the only plank the NDA has is of "development".
Hitting back at the grand alliance's "Bihari versus Bahari (Bihari versus outsider)" barb to attack BJP, which is fighting the polls under the leadership of Modi and Amit Shah, the prime minister took up the issues of migration and unemployment among youths.In remarks laced with sarcasm, he said that he wants to ask from the "very respectable democrat (param adarniya loktantrik) Nitish ji and the "biggest occult practitioner (tantrik) Lalu ji that who made the Bihar youths outsiders by forcing them out of the state in search of livelihood.
"People of Bihar want to know who made the youths of Bihar outsiders (Bahari). Who pushed my youths of Bihar outside. They destroyed two generations of youths in Bihar in the last 25 years," Modi said amid renewed attempts by the Bharatiya Janata Party to consolidate youth voters in Bihar, which it expects will vote beyond the caste and community lines.
Ridiculing Lalu's election meeting barbs at him, Modi said, "Laluji you are free to sacrifice black or white pigeon or blow smoke or soil. If you have to do this rename your
party Rashtriya Janta Dal as Rashtriya Jadu Tona Party (party of occult practices) and being the head of the party, you will be the biggest 'tantrik' in the world."
Democracy functions with the blessings of people not with tantrums of a tantrik, the prime minister said, asking people whether those with an "eighteenth century mindset" can develop Bihar and asked the electorate "to select and wipe out" such people from the political landscape of Bihar.
Nitish had on Saturday courted controversy as a video of his meeting a 'tantrik' went viral, providing fresh ammunition to his rivals, who claimed that he was resorting to occult to get rid of foe-turned-friend Lalu Yadav.
Taking potshots over the incident, Modi said so far he knew only three players in Mahagthbandhan -- Bada Bhai Lalu, Chhota Bhai Nitish and Madam Sonia Gandhi. "But for the first time I came to know there is also a fourth player, a tantrik. Now there are four players in this alliance of grand opportunism."
Wondering whether such a "farce" can be allowed to go on with democracy, Modi, without naming the RJD chief, attacked him for threatening a mike mechanic during his rally in Gaya and portrayed it as an attack on the weaker sections.
Projecting his modest background of a tea-seller, Modi said, "I saw an incident on TV recently that shocked me. There are people who still treat themselves as king (raja-maharaja).
When a leader of Bihar came to deliver his speech, he started snubbing the mikewalla and said he will throw him on the ground. "So far you have not come to power and you are talking of throwing the children of the poor on the ground. The mikewallh may be one individual for you. For me he belongs to my community. Will you torture the children of the poor like this? Will you thrown them on the ground."
Modi also stated that some railway officers used to bash up tea sellers earlier. The BJP has of late been projecting Modi, who himself belongs to Extremely backward community of 'ghaanchi teli' as the first PM on his own strength from EBC category.
The BJP is banking big on EBCs in this election in Bihar.
Modi said that Lalu is labouring only to promote his two sons in politics. "He is not bothered about anybody else than their family members," he alleged.
Targetting the Mahagathbandhan for closure of chocolate factories in the region, he promised that if the NDA came to power, he will ask the state government to form a committee to chalk out plans for industrialisation of the state to generate employment for youth, who he said, are being forced to leave their old parents and migrate to earn two square meals.