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Indian Express
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
When Bihar Congress set up a tea stall — minus sugar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on Friday to Motihari in Bihar was met with political protests from the Opposition, RJD and Congress, who accused him of failing to revive the Motihari and Chanpatia sugar mills — a promise they said he made during the 2014 election campaign in Champaran. The Youth Congress in Motihari also came up with a unique way to make their point. They set up a stall at Gandhi Chowk where they served tea without sugar. Bettiah Youth Congress president Shiv Pujari, who was making tea, said, 'In 2014, the Prime Minister had promised from Champaran's land that he would revive the sugar mills, and the next time, he would have tea made with Motihari's sugar. This is his fifth rally here since then, yet there's no word on the mills. Today, we welcome him with feeki chai (sugarless tea).' At different locations in Motihari, Youth Congress members had also put up posters that read, 'Ka Modi ji? Abki baar Motihari aur Chanpatia ke cheeni mill ke cheeni ke chai peeke jayem nu (So, Modi ji? This time, will you have tea made with sugar from the Motihari-Chanpatia sugar mill before you leave)?' Congress spokesperson Gyan Ranjan Gupta, meanwhile, said, 'He (Modi) promised Kashi would become Kyoto. Where is that? In Bihar, there are on average 229 murders every month. Paper leaks are routine. The PM, who couldn't restart a single sugar mill, now talks of making Motihari like Mumbai. The biggest promise is always a jumla (empty slogan).' Former deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav took to his X account and wrote, 'Pradhanmantri ji, vaadanusar Bihar mein ek cheeni mill tak nahin khulwa sakein, baaki udhyogon ki to apeksha hi bekaar hai. Sab kuch to Pradhanmantri ji Gujarat le gaye, Bihar ko to sirf jumle dene aate hain. (Prime Minister, as per your promise, you have not been able to reopen even a single sugar mill in Bihar. There is no point expecting anything when it comes to other industries. The Prime Minister has shifted everything to Gujarat and only comes to Bihar with empty slogans).' In his address, the Prime Minister accused the previous RJD-Congress governments of 'revenge politics' and neglect. He also listed new investments and infrastructure initiatives, adding, 'So much work is happening in Bihar today because both Centre and state governments are working for the state's progress.' Assembly elections are set to be held in Bihar later this year. During his visit on Friday, Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for development projects worth around Rs 7,200 crore, encompassing new road and rail projects, software technology parks, and investments in rural development and housing support. The event also saw the flagging off of four Amrit Bharat trains and the announcement of Rs 400 crore for women's self-help groups across Bihar.
Hans India
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Modi blows poll bugle in Bihar
Motihari (Bihar): PM Narendra Modi on Friday sounded the poll bugle in Bihar, where Assembly elections are due shortly, calling for "an NDA govt, once again", which would protect the state from the "evil intentions" of the RJD-Congress combine. 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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Business Standard
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Modi launches NDA poll campaign in Bihar, warns of opposition intent
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday sounded the poll bugle in Bihar, where assembly elections are due shortly, calling for "an NDA government, once again", which would protect the state from the "evil intentions" of the RJD-Congress combine. 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. He also pointed out that the poorest of the poor now had access to banking services thanks to the Jan Dhan scheme launched by his government, in sharp contrast to earlier times, "when our mothers and sisters were forced to keep their savings hidden in some obscure corner of their homes". Modi charged the Congress-RJD combine with "arrogance that leaves no respectable space for leaders who do not belong to families that control these parties". The allusion may have been to Independent MP Rajiv Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, an INDIA bloc supporter, and young Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar, both of whom were shoved aside last week while trying to climb atop a vehicle from where Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav were addressing the public in Patna. The PM also said that the Congress-RJD combine, while in power, had "put brakes on development", but "we salute the resolve of the people of the state who broke the shackles" in the 2005 assembly polls, which brought the NDA to power for the first time. He, however, added that "the younger generation must be made aware of the despair in which Bihar was mired (nirasha ke gart mein duba) until two decades ago" and that it was essential to "protect Bihar against the evil intentions (buri niyat) of the Congress-RJD combine". The PM also touched upon the success of Operation Sindoor, which followed his announcement, from Madhubani district in the state, that the culprits of Pahalgam terror attack will be taken to task. "This is a new India, which spares no effort in punishing the enemies, mobilizing forces from both land and sky", remarked Modi, who also reaffirmed his government's commitment to stamp out naxalism, and claimed that efforts made in the direction have "benefited Bihar districts like Aurangabad, Gaya and Jamui, once held back by Maoist violence". He shared with the people his vision for a developed Bihar, "where Motihari gets as much prominence in the east, as Mumbai has in the west, opportunities in Gayaji are at par with those in Gurugram and industrial growth in Patna matches that of Pune". Modi also accused the previous Congress-led UPA government at the Centre of "political retaliation" against the Nitish Kumar administration in the state "which received a meagre assistance of Rs two lakh crore over a period of 10 years". "Since 2014, when we took over, Bihar has been provided Rs nine lakh in central assistance", disclosed the Prime Minister. Besides the Bihar CM, who is a key NDA partner, the PM shared the stage with Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, besides Union ministers belonging to the state, including Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan, Nityanand Rai and Ramnath Thakur.
Indian Express
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Congress-RJD took revenge on Bihar': At Motihari rally, Modi raises poll pitch
Calling Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's leadership as pivotal to Bihar's future, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday accused the previous RJD-Congress government of 'punishing' the state and promised that a 'new Bihar' would be built under the National Democratic Alliance government. Speaking at a public meeting in Motihari after launching and inaugurating development projects of over Rs 7,200 crore, Modi said: 'This is the land of Champaran, which gave a new direction to Mahatma Gandhi. Now, the inspiration from this land will shape Bihar's new future'. The Prime Minister's address was aimed at highlighting NDA's governance model in Bihar while drawing a sharp contrast with that of the earlier UPA regime. He accused the Congress-RJD of meting out 'revenge politics' to the state. 'When the RJD and Congress were in power, Bihar was given just Rs 2 lakh crore in 10 years. It was as though they were punishing Nitish ji's government punishing the people of Bihar. But in the last 10 years, the NDA governments have given multiple times more funding for Bihar's development,' he said. Taking a jibe at the RJD's tenure in the state, Modi said that development was stalled under the RJD-Congress government, and the poor found it hard to access their rights. 'Those in power were more interested in how to loot what was rightfully the poor's,' he said. 'At that time, people didn't even dare repaint their homes, fearing the landlords might be picked up. Can anyone who fostered such fear give you a pucca house?' At the same time, he underscored the NDA's credentials in welfare delivery, with schemes such as the government's affordable housing scheme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and women's Self-Help Group initiative, Lakhpati Didi, and the financial inclusion programme, Jan Dhan. 'Over 12,000 families in Bihar have received new homes under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) on Thursday itself, and nearly seven lakh houses have already been built in the state under the scheme. In Motihari alone, three lakh pucca houses have been constructed,' he said. 'Only in Bihar, more poor families have been given permanent homes than the total populations of countries like Norway, New Zealand, and Singapore,' he said. Referring to the Jan Dhan scheme, he said: 'Earlier, many women didn't even have bank accounts. Today, more than 3.5 crore women in Bihar have Jan Dhan accounts. The government's money is directly reaching them now through these accounts'. He also announced a new central employment scheme for employment. To be rolled out on August 1, the scheme offers Rs 15,000 incentive to first-time job seekers in the private sector. 'This will be hugely beneficial for the youth of Bihar,' he said, adding that the Centre will allocate Rs 1 lakh crore for the initiative. There is more employment under the Nitish Kumar-led government, he said. 'Lakhs of youth have been appointed fairly and transparently. Nitish ji has taken new steps on employment, and the Centre is working shoulder-to-shoulder with him,' he said. Promising further support to Bihar's agro-based economy, he highlighted that the government is working on setting up a Makhana Board to connect the farmers of Bihar with global markets. Similar value chains could be developed in future for 'banana, litchi, katarni rice, Jardalu mango and Magahi paan', he said. Modi also spoke about the decline of Maoist activity in Bihar, terming it a result of strong governance and security policy. 'Today, districts like Champaran, Gaya, Jamui, and Aurangabad, which once were under Naxal influence, are seeing youth dream bigger,' he said, adding, 'Our resolve is to free India from the shadow of Naxalism.' Framing the eastern region as the next engine of India's growth, Modi said: 'In the 21st century, Eastern countries are leading global growth. Similarly, in India, it will be eastern states that will drive the country forward'. Positioning the BJP-JD(U)-led NDA as the covenant for Bihar's continued development, Modi said, 'You have already freed this land from the shackles of RJD and Congress. You made the impossible possible. Now that Bihar is on the path of progress, it must continue with the NDA. That is your pledge, NDA at every step. We will build a new Bihar — and once again, an NDA government.'
Hans India
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Out of 4 crore pucca houses under PMAY, 60 lakh beneficiaries in Bihar alone: PM Modi
Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday enumerated the list of Central welfare schemes benefitting the residents of Bihar and also reiterated the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government's resolve to build "new Bihar". PM Modi, on a visit to Bihar's Motihari district, launched a slew of infrastructural projects worth over Rs 7,200 crore and addressed a large public gathering where he outlined the government's unwavering focus on people's welfare, unlike the previous regime, when the state was "discriminated against" during the UPA era. He said that Bihar alone accounts for 60 lakh, out of 4 crore pucca houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and mocked the RJD's era of "jungle raj", saying, "During RJD-Congress rule, it was not only impossible for the poor to get such houses but also people feared getting their houses whitewashed. They feared that if they did, they would be abducted." "In Motihari alone, more than 3 lakh families have got pucca houses till date," he said. PM Modi further highlighted how the farmers of Bihar are slated to benefit from the Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana scheme, approved by the Union Cabinet two days ago. "Under the scheme, 100 districts will be identified, which have adequate farming opportunities but lag in terms of productivity and monetary returns. More than 1.75 crore farmers will benefit from this, and a lot of them would be from Bihar," the Prime Minister told the crowd. He said the way Eastern countries of the world have become the engine for global growth, Bihar should become the growth hub for the country. "The vision of the BJP and NDA is that when Bihar progresses, the country will progress. Our resolve is - a prosperous Bihar, employment for every youth," he said. To ensure the youth of Bihar get maximum employment opportunities within the state, rapid work is being done across multiple sectors, he said. "The Nitish government has provided appointments to lakhs of youth in the state. He has made new resolutions for the employment of Bihar's youth, and the Central government is standing shoulder to shoulder with it," PM Modi further remarked. The Prime Minister concluded his address with a punchline, "Banayenge naya Bihar, phir ek baar NDA sarkaar" (Will make a New Bihar, with NDA government again).
