NEW DELHI, Aug 8: The Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday laid the foundation stone for the Janaki Mandir redevelopment project in Sitamarhi district in Bihar to develop the temple of Sita in line with the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.
The Maa Janaki Temple at Punaura Dham will be developed over 67 acres of land, with the work expected to be completed within 11 months. The Bihar Cabinet on July 1, 2025 had sanctioned ₹882.87 crore for the integrated development of the temple complex.
Addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone, Mr Shah lashed out at the Opposition for raising doubts over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. He also lashed out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for criticising the Election Commission (EC). He said revision of electoral rolls was not taking place for the first time.
“I want to tell Rahul Gandhi ji to stop the vote bank politics. Matdata Suchi Ka Shuddhikaran Pahli Baar Nahi Ho Raha Hai [Cleansing of the voter list is not happening for the first time]. It was started by your great-grandfather. You are losing election after election, and you have already given people the reason for losing the Bihar election,” Mr Shah said.
He also alleged that “infiltrators” are the Opposition’s vote bank, which is why they oppose the SIR. “Those who are not born in India are not granted the right to vote in India by the Constitution. Rahul baba, you are carrying the Constitution around, open it and read it sometime! Infiltrators have no right to participate in this country’s election. Infiltrators are your vote bank, that is why you oppose it [the SIR],” Mr Shah said.
Pointing to the crowd, Mr Shah said there was a debate in the State on the need for the SIR process. “But I want to ask you people, should infiltrators be removed from the voter list or not? Should the EC take strict action or not, tell me, Lalu Prasad ji? Whom do you want to protect? Do you want to protect the Bangladeshi who comes here to take away the jobs of Bihar people? If you want the votes of infiltrators, then the people of Bihar will not accept you.”
He added why the Congress and Mr Prasad’s party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, have not approached the EC for inclusion and removal of names in the draft rolls published on August 1, under the objections and claims process. Mr Shah also said the National Democratic Alliance would form the government in Bihar with full majority in the election.
Listing out the development work undertaken in the Mithila region, Mr Shah said under the leadership of Mr Narendra Modi, the NDA government had honoured Mithila in many ways. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and several other Union Ministers were present on the dais. Mr Kumar also praised the Central government for sanctioning financial packages and projects to Bihar.
(Manas Dasgupta)