Modi blows poll bugle in Bihar
Modi also accused the RJD of seizing land from the poor on the false promise of jobs, in an apparent reference to the 'land-for-jobs' scam, and asserted that the 'viksit' (developed) Bihar is key for eastern India's development. Addressing a rally in Motihari town, the headquarters of East Champaran district, he said, "The people of the state had broken the shackles of RJD", but the younger generation "must be made aware of the despair in which Bihar was mired two decades ago".
He also made an indirect reference to the land for jobs scam, on a day when the Supreme Court turned down a plea by RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, a former railway minister and the prime accused, for a stay on trial.
"Employment generation could have never taken place in Bihar under people who made aspirants part with their land in the name of providing jobs," said the PM.
In contrast, he pointed out, "lakhs of youths in Bihar" have got loans under the Mudra Yojana promoting self-employment, and his government has also launched other schemes like Rs 15,000 assistance to youth getting their first jobs in the private sector.
"The scheme will be rolled out on August 1 and the Centre will be bearing an expenditure of Rs one lakh crore for the same," said Modi.
He also raised slogans in Hindi, roughly translating "we will build a new Bihar with the NDA in power once again" and "the resolve of Bihar is unshaken, to remain with the NDA always".
Modi alleged that under the RJD-Congress rule, the poor could not afford pucca houses and the relatively better off "feared getting their homes whitewashed or distempered, as this could attract the attention of marauding gangs involved in kidnapping for ransom".
In contrast, he said, over the past 11 years, "four crore houses have been built across the country under the PM Awas Yojana, of which 50 lakh are in Bihar. This figure surpasses the total population of countries like Norway, New Zealand and Singapore".
"In Motihari alone, the around three lakh families have got pucca houses and the figure continues to grow. Today, more than 12,000 families have got keys to their new houses and 40,000 families have received funds in their bank accounts to build pucca houses", said the PM, whose speech was preceded by launch of development projects worth more than Rs 7,000 crore.
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