Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 20: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a scathing attack on the two main opposition parties in poll-bound Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress, accusing them of allegedly insulting Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar and branding the two parties “anti-Bihar, anti-investment and protectors of mafia raj, goonda raj and corruption in Bihar.”
Addressing a high-stakes rally in Jasoli in Siwan district, Mr Modi repeatedly referred to “hand” (symbol of Congress), and “lantern” (symbol of RJD) accusing the main opposition parties the betrayers of the aspirations of Dalits and other backward classes.
His remarks came amidst a growing controversy over a viral video that purportedly shows RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav placing an image of Ambedkar near a chair, before resting his leg on it.
Without naming Lalu, Mr Modi invoked the incident to question the Opposition’s commitment to social justice. “Leaders of RJD and Congress keep photographs of the architect of the Country’s Constitution near their feet. I keep his photograph close to my heart,” he said. He added, “RJD will never apologise for what happened as they have no respect for Dalits and backwards.” “The RJD insulted Babasaheb and the people of Bihar will never forgive its leaders,” Modi said.
The Ambedkar row has escalated into a major political flashpoint ahead of the Bihar assembly elections, which are due in a few months. The Prime Minister’s visit to Bihar comes days after a letter from the National Commission for Scheduled Castes to the state’s Chief Secretary, seeking information on the actions taken regarding the incident. The letter demands details within 15 days, including the sections under which the FIR has been filed and whether any arrests have been made, thereby heightening pressure on the Yadav family.
The RJD had earlier clarified that the controversy began due to the “camera angle” at Lalu Yadav’s house while his 78th birthday celebration was going on earlier this month. The party said Lalu Yadav’s feet were on a sofa because of “medical advice” and a party supporter stood close carrying the portrait of BR Ambedkar.
Mr Modi launched 28 development projects worth more than Rs 5,900 crore in Bihar’s Siwan district. As he held a roadshow upon his arrival in the city, he also inaugurated the new Vaishali–Deoria railway line project, and flagged off a new train service on this route, built at a cost of over Rs 400 crore.
Accusing the two parties of encouraging dynastic politics marginalising the backward and Dalit communities and said, “Everyone should get the opportunity to progress, and no one should be discriminated against. This is the essence of our Constitution. That is why we say ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’. But the ‘lantern’ and ‘panja’ people say, ‘parivar ka sath, parivar ka vikas’. This is the gist of their politics. They do not shy away from harming crores of families in Bihar for the benefit of their families. Babasaheb Ambedkar was against such politics,” Modi said.
Mr Modi also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of several projects worth ₹9.5 thousand crore, and flagged off the Vande Bharat train from Patliputra station in Patna to Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Since January, this is the fourth visit of Mr Modi to poll-bound Bihar. State assembly elections are due in Bihar in October-November.
The “RJD-Congress are anti-Bihar, anti-investment. Both have been protectors of mafia raj, goonda raj and corruption in Bihar,” alleged PM Modi.
While saying that over four crore people have got pucca (concrete) houses in the country in the last one decade and three crore more will be given to them in coming days, Mr Modi said, “But still Modi will not take rest and keep working for the poor, dalit, mahadalit, Extremely Backward Class and Other Backward Class people. And, what is of more satisfaction to me is that most of these houses are registered in the name of our mothers and sisters,” he added.
“Free ration, electricity and water are given to them by our government, but those with the symbols of hand and lantern (Congress and RJD) were involved in looting the country, and still they’re looking for an opportunity,” Mr Modi said while the gathered crowd cheered loudly. “The poor, dalit, mahadalit, EBC and OBC people got the worst benefit of the welfare measure by these parties in Bihar,” alleged PM Modi.
Referring to his recent foreign tours, PM Modi said, “All leaders were impressed with the fast progress of India. India will soon become the third most powerful country in the world and Bihar is going to play a pivotal role in this,” he said. “NDA has shown that poverty could be eradicated from the country as 25 crore people have defeated poverty in the country in last one decade and out of 3.75 crore people are from Bihar,” he added. “Bihar will be a big centre of Make-in-India programme,” he declared.
His visit to Siwan was seen as politically significant for the district as it has a sizeable Muslim, Yadav and Dalit population and is traditionally considered as a stronghold of the RJD. Siwan also shares its district border with Saran and Gopalganj districts, where the BJP party workers and leaders have been camping for the last few days, inviting people to come to the Prime Minister’s rally. India’s first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad, was from Ziradei in Siwan and Mr Modi also invoked the intellectual legacy of Prasad in his address.
Furthering the vision of ‘Make in India – Make for the World’, the Prime Minister also flagged off a state-of-the-art locomotive manufactured at the Marhowra Plant for export to the Republic of Guinea. This is the first export locomotive from the factory and features a high-horsepower engine, advanced AC propulsion system, microprocessor-based controls, ergonomic cab design, and regenerative braking technology.
Slamming Mr Modi’s visit to Bihar again, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh in a post on social media said, “The PM is in Bihar today. On the basis of the caste survey conducted by the erstwhile INDIA bloc government in Bihar, the Bihar government had proposed 65% reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs and EBCs. This is under challenge in the courts. The double engine government in Bihar has all but given up.”
Mr Ramesh further said in his post that “the Indian National Congress will take three issues of fundamental importance to social justice and empowerment in the monsoon session of the Parliament that begins on July 21, 2025.”
The three issue he raked up in his post are — to make the Bihar reservation law a part of the ninth schedule of the constitution; amend the constitution to overcome the 50% ceiling for reservations for Schedules castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs and EBCs; and Article 15(5) enables reservations for SCs, STs, OBCs and EBCs in private educational institutions also and this has been unimplemented for the past 11 years after the Supreme Court had upheld the constitutional amendment that was introduced by the Manmohan Singh’s government in 2006.
Mr Modi had visited the State on January 24, April 24 and May 29-30. He held a road show in Patna on May 29 and addressed a public rally at Bikramganj in Rohtas district the next day, May 30, where he announced that he had come to Bihar after “fulfilling his promise” which he had made after terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
A day ahead of PM Modi’s visit to the State, Opposition RJD leader and Tejashwi Yadav who is also Leader of Opposition in State assembly, had taken a jibe saying “the Prime Minister is once again coming to cheat Bihar. He will be here only to abuse Lalu Prasad and me.” Mr Yadav also accused PM Modi of avoiding real issues like “unemployment and migration, instead of focusing on abusing his political rivals.”
Earlier in the day, the RJD chief Lalu Yadav released a ‘Bihar AI’ parody video taking swipes at Mr Modi. The video has a mix of lookalikes created using artificial intelligence software and genuine footage from PM Modi’s public events. A song that accompanied the video repeatedly mentioned the words “jumlo ki baarish” – a familiar line that the Opposition has been using while criticising PM Modi and his party, BJP.
“Weather warning in the interest of Bihar – today, there will be heavy rain of lies, false promises and illusions in Bihar, hailstones of false and tempting promises along with thunder, be careful,” Lalu Yadav wrote in Hindi in the post on X. The video also features AI lookalikes of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and PM Modi dancing together in rain and in front of a bridge that had crumbled.
Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD MLA and Lalu Yadav’s son, was portrayed in the video as a leader who helped the common people. In one scene, an AI rendition of Tejashwi Yadav was shown helping an old woman pick up a heavy cane basket full of fruit.
After completing his Bihar visit, Mr Modi was accorded a grand welcome in the evening after he landed at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar for a day’s visit to Odisha and took part in a Tiranga Yatra and a roadshow. The Tiranga Yatra and the roadshow were held simultaneously, as this was Mr Modi’s first visit to Odisha after “Operation Sindoor.”
As the PM’s cavalcade made its way slowly through the streets, thousands lined up on both sides of the road from the airport to Janata Maidan. Cultural troupes showcased traditional folk arts, including performances of Bagha Nachha (tiger dance), Ghoda Nachha (horse dance), Ghumra music, cymbal-beating, and Kirtan, adding vibrant colour and rhythm to the celebrations.
The Tiranga Yatra and the roadshow covered around 9 km from the airport to Janata Maidan, the venue of the event commemorating the first anniversary of the BJP government in Odisha. Mr Modi did not step out of his vehicle during the roadshow, waving to the crowd from inside as the convoy moved along the designated route.
