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’Secular’ alliance slams Modi at Patna rally

Congress president Sonia Gandhi with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar (C) and RJD chief Lalu Prasad during the ’Swabhiman Rally’ in Patna on Sunday. Photo: Ranjeet Kumar

The Congress president lashes out at PM for slashing allocations to all major social security schemes.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over land ordinance at the first joint rally of the grand “secular” alliance in Bihar on Sunday.

Ms. Gandhi also lashed out at the Modi government for “doing nothing other than ‘show-baazi’” by slashing allocations to all major social security schemes like MGNREGA.

The Bihar Chief Minister said Mr. Modi had bowed down to public pressure by stepping back on the land acquisition ordinance.

RJD president Lalu Prasad attacked the BJP on social media saying it “will face a debacle worse than Delhi” in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. The leader also said the people of the State would make the BJP understand that “they are not buyable” and in an apparent reference to Mr. Modi, said any “outsider with blood of a businessman in his veins” would not be allowed to insult them.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Modi, in his radio programme Mann Ki Baat, said the government has decided to allow the land acquisition ordinance to lapse on Monday and include 13 points in the rules to provide direct financial benefit to the farmers.

Meanwhile, Lok Janshakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan has charged that the Swabhiman Rally in fact, “is a government sponsored rally with gross misuse of government machinery”.

As it happened:

2:55 pm: We will create a Bihar where people don’t leave the State to find opportunities, but people come here: Nitish Kumar

2:47 pm: Police in Delhi is controlled by Modiji; there is less crime in Bihar as compared to Delhi: Nitish Kumar

2:40 pm: “Modi had to go back on the land acquisition ordinance. He had to step back. This is the biggest victory for people,” the JD(U) leader says.

2:35 pm: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar begins his address at Swaabhimaan rally.

2:32 pm: Sonia Gandhi ends her speech during Swaabhimaan rally with "Jai Hind, Jai Bihar".

2:30 pm: Modi govt. took a “U-turn” by allowing the land ordinance to lapse due to our fight against: Sonia Gandhi

2:25 pm: I am sure that people of Bihar will fully support our grand alliance: Sonia Gandhi

2:20 pm: Our "mahagatbandhan" is founded on the idea of walking the path of development: Sonia Gandhi

2:15 pm: Earlier PM used to challenge issues related to Pak, now when things on border are unstable whats his policy regarding Pak: Sonia Gandhi

2:14 pm: “This is an anti-farmer government. They want to grab their land and distribute it among their rich friends. We fought for the protection of farmers’ rights in the Parliament and in the end government had to bow down.”

2:12 pm: Congress has always respected Bihar. And Bihar is developing under Nitishji’s guidance: Sonia Gandhi

2:12 pm: I know people of Bihar always stand up for their dignity. The crowd here proves that: Sonia Gandhi

JD(U) sets up 80 counters in rally venue for DNA collection

The JD(U) has set up 80 counters around Gandhi Maidan for collection of DNA samples of people coming to rally of secular alliance here today as part of its “Sabdhwapsi” [take back word] campaign. The counters are providing people with envelopes that have the following written on its front: “I feel proud of being a Bihari and there is no fault in my DNA. But if you [Prime Minister] have any doubt you can get it tested.”

RJD President Lalu Prasad too mentioned the DNA angle in a tweet ahead of Swambhiman rally at Gandhi Maidan.

“People of Bihar will tell BJP today that they are ’tikau’ [durable] and not ‘bikau’ [for sale]... There is good sanskar [culture] in our DNA,” Mr. Prasad tweeted.

JD(U), RJD to contest 100 seats each in Bihar

The RJD and the ruling JD(U) had announced that they would contest 100 seats each in the coming Bihar Assembly elections, leaving 40 to the third alliance partner, Congress.

They would hold the remaining three seats for the Nationalist Congress Party to contest if it was willing to join the alliance.