BIHAR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday declared that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already secured 310 seats by the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections and criticized the opposition stating that they have been decimated. “Modi ji has already won 310 seats till the 5th phase of Lok Sabha election. Lalu and Rahul have been completely wiped out. The arrogant alliance in Bihar will not even be able to open its account this time,” Shah proclaimed during a public rally in Bihar’s Arrah on Friday. Shah criticized the Congress and its allies for trying to intimidate the citizens with threats involving Pakistan and said that the BJP is not afraid of anything. Talking about PoJK Shah said that we will get it back at any cost. “These Congress leaders, Lalu ji, this arrogant alliance tries to scare us by saying that Pakistan has an atom bomb and to not talk about PoK (Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir). I have come to tell Lalu Yadav and his company that we, the BJP, are not afraid of Pakistan’s atom bomb,” Shah said. “PoK (Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir) is ours, and we will take it. This is the BJP’s resolve,” Shah added. Highlighting the abrogation of Article 370, Shah credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with ending terrorism in the region. “For years, this Congress party nurtured Article 370 like a child. On August 5, 2019, PM Modi abolished Article 370 and erased the mark of terrorism from this country forever,” Shah said. Shah also emphasized the government’s success in combating Naxalism, claiming that states such as Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra are now free from the menace. “And I say, if you elect Modi ji for the third time, we will uproot Naxalism from Chhattisgarh as well,” he promised. Addressing the issue of the Ram temple, Shah accused Congress and Lalu Prasad Yadav of obstructing its construction for decades. “This Congress party and Lalu ji blocked the Ram temple for 70 years. You made Modi ji the PM for the second time, and in just five years, Modi ji won the case, performed the ground-breaking ceremony, and in January he successfully did the Pran Pratishtha ceremony,” Shah said. Shah condemned the opposition’s approach to reservations, alleging that they sought to dilute benefits meant for backward classes. He especially highlighted the recent Calcutta High Court decision to cancel all Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates issued in West Bengal post-2010. “Do you want the jungle raj of Lalu or the welfare of the poor under PM Modi? The Congress party, Lalu Prasad Yadav, and Mamta Banerjee want to steal the reservations of our backward classes. In Karnataka, they gave 5% reservation to Muslims, in Hyderabad they gave 4% reservation to Muslims, and Mamta Banerjee left 180 castes. Yesterday, the Calcutta High Court put a stop to this unconstitutional reservation in Bengal. As long as PM Modi is there, we will not let anyone touch the reservations of Dalits, Adivasis, and backward classes. If you help BJP cross 400 seats, we will revoke the Muslim reservation and give it to the backward classes,” Shah said. Shah attacked Lalu Prasad Yadav for perpetuating “jungle raj” and nepotism in Bihar stating that he had no place for the backward classes or the Yadavs. “Once upon a time, Lalu ji Here (in Bihar) used to talk about ‘Tel pilavan, lathiya ghumavan’ and the rule of strongmen. Do you want such a regime again in Arrah? Do you want such a jungle raj again? As long as Narendra Modi is there, Jungle Raj cannot come to Bihar. Lalu ji has spent his entire life working for his family. The Yadav community is under the wrong impression that Lalu ji works for them. Lalu made both his sons (Tej Pratap Yadav and Tejaswi Yadav) ministers in Bihar, one a Rajya Sabha member, and another an MP. He made Rabri Devi the CM. Lalu ji has no place for the backward classes or the Yadavs,” Shah said. Arrah Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 40 Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar. It is comprised of 7 assembly segments Sandesh, Barhara, Arrah, Tarari, Jagdishpur, Shahpur and Agiaon. Election in Ara will be held in the seventh phase on June 1. From the Arrah Lok Sabha Constituency Bharatiya Janata Party fielded Union Minister R K Singh and the Communist Party Of India (Marxist) fielded Sudama Prasad as the INDIA bloc candidate. Elections in Bihar are contested in all seven phases. With 40 Lok Sabha constituencies, the fourth highest among all States and Union Territories, Bihar holds a crucial position in shaping Indian politics. RJD from the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), the opposition coalition in Bihar, will contest 26 out of the state’s 40 Lok Sabha seats. As part of the NDA, the BJP and JD (U) will contest for 17 and 16 seats, respectively. The results of the Lok Sabha elections will be declared on June 4th.
