Patna: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday launched a sharp attack on Grand Alliance leaders, accusing them of protecting infiltrators in Bihar’s Seemanchal region and vowed to remove them.
Addressing a rally in Banmankhi Assembly constituency in Purnea, Shah asked voters to back efforts to detect and expel those he described as illegal entrants.
“People of Seemanchal, tell me — should these infiltrators be removed from here or not? Rahul Gandhi and Lalu’s son had embarked on a ‘Save the Infiltrators’ march in Bihar a few weeks ago. They want Seemanchal to become a stronghold of infiltrators. But I declare today from the land of Seemanchal that we will work to remove every single infiltrator from Bihar. These infiltrators snatch away the jobs of our youth, take a share of the rations meant for the poor, and make the country insecure,” he said.
Shah further vowed to clear encroachments allegedly made by such people.
“I declare today in Banmankhi that we will not only remove the infiltrators, but we will also completely demolish the encroachments they have made and free the land of Seemanchal from them,” he said.
The Home Minister reiterated long-standing BJP claims that Seemanchal — which includes Purnea, Araria, Kishanganj and Katihar has a sizeable Muslim population — has been vulnerable to illegal cross-border migration because of its proximity to Bangladesh.
The polling in the Seemanchal region will be held in the second phase on November 11.
He also attacked the RJD for its 15-year rule.
“During Lalu-Rabri’s rule, MLAs were murdered in broad daylight. Looting, murder, extortion, and kidnapping — these industries flourished. Nitish Kumar has ended jungle raj, but the jungle raj is trying to return in a different disguise. Every vote you cast will prevent the return of jungle raj,” Shah said.
He targeted RJD candidate selections and invoked the name of the late Bahubali leader and former MP Mohammad Shahabuddin while warning against what he called the party’s apology for criminal elements.
“Lalu’s party has given a ticket to Shahabuddin’s son Osama in Siwan… there is no place left for any Osama or Shahabuddin on this land of Bihar,” Shah said.
He said the Bihar election was now a contest between two camps.
“In this election, there are two camps — on one side is the scattered alliance of thugs, and on the other side is the NDA, like the five Pandavas. Half of Bihar has already voted. In the first phase, Lalu and Rahul’s party has been completely wiped out. The NDA government is going to be formed in Bihar with more than 160 seats. Under the leadership of PM Modi and Nitish Kumar, Bihar is going to move ahead and become a developed state,” he said.
He invoked the Ayodhya dispute while accusing past governments of delaying the construction of a Ram temple.
“550 years ago, Babar demolished the temple of Lord Rama in Ayodhya. Since then, first the Mughals obstructed it, then the British obstructed it, then the Congress obstructed it, and then Lalu Yadav obstructed it. When you re-elected Narendra Modi in 2019, he laid the foundation stone in 2019 and then consecrated the temple in 2024, proclaiming ‘Jai Shri Ram’.”
He also linked that to the Sitamarhi Sita temple project.
“Goddess Sita is a daughter of Bihar. Now the foundation stone has also been laid for a temple dedicated to Goddess Sita in Sitamarhi. A magnificent temple for Goddess Sita will be built here within two and a half years at a cost of Rs 850 crore.”
(IANS)
