Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday expressed confidence that the NDA will achieve a decisive victory in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. He said the ruling alliance would win “more than 160 seats” and form the next government under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
“We will win more than 160 seats and form the government in Bihar,” Shah said in an interview to Times Now on Monday. He further said, “Nitish Kumar is the Chief Minister here and Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister there. Neither the seat of the Chief Minister nor that of the Prime Minister is vacant.”
Shah also came down hard on Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge for making personal attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Bihar election campaign.
Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s jibe at the Prime Minister for doing Bharatnatyam dance to get votes and Kharge comparing Modi’s campaign to a ‘wedding ceremony’, Shah said such comments ‘show the Congress’s desperation’.
Shah said, “When Manmohan Singh became the Prime Minister, he could not reach out to the public and Congress made it fashionable to say that the Prime Minister should not campaign. Why should the Prime Minister not campaign? Elections are a celebration of democracy and it is the duty of every leader to connect with the people.”
He further said, “Congress has used abusive language against Modi ji every time, be it Mani Shankar Aiyar or anyone else, and every time the people of the country have responded by giving victory to the BJP. This time too it will backfire.”
Defending the Special Intensive Review (SIR) exercise in Bihar, which has been opposed by some state governments, Shah clarified that it is a routine administrative process.
He said, “SIR is not happening only in the states where elections are being held. It is happening in phases, for 2025 and 2026 it has already started, and also for 2027. It has been conducted 11 times since 1955.”
Asked about reports of deletion of over 65 lakh names in Bihar, Shah said, “The Election Commission has identified them, not us. It is the responsibility of the Commission to ensure that only citizens aged 18 years and above are registered. The Supreme Court has not done so, but the Election Commission has done so as per its constitutional duty.”
Responding to the opposition’s charge that the government’s welfare schemes are being used as an election weapon, Shah said the NDA’s focus is on empowering all sections irrespective of caste or religion.
He said, “Women, youth and farmers are not a caste formula; it is a social formula. Dalits, backward classes, farmers and even poor Muslims have benefited from it. The criteria is not caste; but inclusive national development.”
Shah said the BJP-led alliance has built trust through governance and pro-poor initiatives. He said, “After Narendra Modi’s government came, we made schemes for the welfare of the poor. More than 50 percent people have benefited and have been empowered. The future of the poor of this country is in the hands of the NDA.”
Meanwhile, on the controversy arising out of the arrest of RJD leader Anant Singh in the murder case of Dularchand Yadav, Shah made a sharp distinction between the NDA and the Grand Alliance and reminded the opposition of its own history.
Shah said, “The decision to give him the ticket is his party’s. Anand Singh has a criminal record, but he does not deserve punishment like Lalu ji. Lalu ji has already been punished and has also been released on health grounds. And Rahul ji is holding rallies with him, shaking hands.”
He said that the opposition should look at its own jungle raj record before raising questions on others.
