Taking a sharp dig at the opposition grand alliance ahead of Bihar elections, Union Minister Giriraj Singh took aim at Muslims during a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rally in Arwal, saying his party does not seek votes of “Namak Haram” (ungrateful people).
Addressing the gathering at the nomination rally of the BJP candidate from Arwal Assembly constituency on Saturday, the Union Minister compared the BJP’s rule with the previous governments.
Referring to a conversation he had with a Muslim, he asked whether he had got the benefits of government schemes.
Giriraj Singh said, “I asked him, did you get the Ayushman card? He said, yes. Was there any Hindu or Muslim issue? He said, no. It is very good for me. Did you vote for me? He said, yes. I asked, in the name of God, did you vote for me? He said, no. I asked, did you vote for Narendra Modi? He said, no. Did we abuse you? He said, no. I asked, what was my fault?…I said…me. Don’t want the votes of namak haram (ungrateful people).”
Singh said, “Congress had given the slogan of ‘Garibi Hatao’. Lalu Yadav had given the slogan. But it did not happen. Prime Minister Modi did it. You have to think.”
Responding to Giriraj Singh’s comment, independent MP from Purnia Pappu Yadav said, “He is crossing the limits of language. Everyone knows who betrayed the country and stood with the British. Giriraj should first remember that history.”
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut also hit out at the Union minister, asking, “If someone doesn’t vote for you, are they all namak haram?”
He said, “Union Minister Giriraj Singh has claimed that Muslims avail the benefits of all the schemes of the Central Government, but do not vote for BJP. This is completely false. Muslims voted for Modi in large numbers in 2014 and BJP got votes in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.”
Raut said, “Who gave you the right to say such things about a particular community? Hindus have not voted for them… In Maharashtra, in Bengal, in Kerala, in Jammu and Kashmir, in Karnataka, Hindus have not voted for them. Will you call all of them ‘Namak Haram’ Mr. Giriraj Singh? You are in power by ‘vote theft’. When Hindus are not voting for you, will you call them also ‘Namak Haram’? Prime Minister Modi should call them ‘Namak Haram’. He should be expelled from the Council of Ministers. You cannot say such things to any person, any community.”
Meanwhile, in his address in Arwal constituency, Singh talked about infrastructure development in Bihar. Singh highlighted that significant change and development has taken place in Bihar.
He said, “Those who have taken oath… are these roads made only for NDA vehicles? Today a young man told me that earlier my car used to run on a tank lorry. The tires on it last for three months. Today it runs for three years. The vehicles are maintained. This is a changed Bihar.”
Emphasizing on public safety in Bihar, especially the safety of women, Singh said, “The safety of this Binar is in your hands. The safety of my sister’s daughter is in your hands. Earlier, I did not have a son. I used to be able to come back after five in the evening. I used to leave my daughter’s matter and come back. Today my daughter also goes at night. She comes back in the open. Does she come or not? Who will protect her? Who will protect the daughters and daughters-in-law? This will be done by the NDA government.”
The Union Minister said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is set to achieve a landslide victory in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, while making a sharp attack on the opposition alliance Grand Alliance, saying it is in a fractured state. The heart broke into a thousand pieces, the coals fell here, the coals fell here and there.
Singan also said that there is no such thing as ‘grand alliance’ in Binar, which shows that the public has no interest in RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
Giriraj Singh told ANI, “In 2010, JD(U) and BJP together had created a record when they won 206 seats. This time, we will go even higher than that. We have ‘neta’ (leader), ‘netratva’ (leadership) and programme. There is no such thing as ‘grand alliance’, there is no confidence in Tejashwi Yadav. They are not ready to accept each other as leaders. They neither have There is ‘leader’ and not ‘leadership’.”
Taking a dig at the opposition group, he said, “The condition of the Grand Alliance is like ‘hearts have been broken into a thousand pieces, coal has fallen here, coal has fallen there’! They are facing each other on 4 dozen seats… Their ‘alliance’ has proved to be a ‘thugbandhan’. They are betraying each other. This shows that they are desperate and disappointed.”
Voting for Binar Elections 2025 will take place on November 6 and 11. The results will be declared on 14 November.