The fourth and the last Parivartan rally addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the historic Silk City of Bhagalpur on Tuesday is being seen as NDA's attempt to put to rest the euphoria emanating from the much-hyped Swabhiman rally called by the JD(U), Congress and the RJD at the historic Gandhi Maidan in Patna on Sunday. The gathering at the rally might be emboldening for NDA leaders who shared the dais and took turns to fire fresh salvos at Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav and the Congress.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi under attack from various quarters over his DNA remark on Nitish Kumar, however, tried to play the time-tested development card this time at Bhagalpur and ensured that Bihari sentiment is not bruised further. He went to the extent of calling Biharis the "most intelligent people" a remark which he had made earlier at the Muzaffarpur rally but the same getting drowned in the controversial personal attack on Nitish over his DNA. The JDU was quick to grab the DNA remark of the Prime minister and in the last few weeks tried to turn it into a poll plank attaching Bihari sentiment and pride to the PM's remark.
Modi, however, chose to be careful this time and preferred to attack the governance in the state in the last 25 years while promising unprecedented central assistance to the state of Bihar for its development. The final Parivartan rally at Bhagalpur is seen in sharp contrast to the Swabhiman rally called in by the Mahgathbandhan. Political pundits are candid in alleging that the Swaviman rally at Gandhi Maidan addressed by leaders like Nitish Kumar, Sonia Gandhi and Lalu Prasad Yadav was a proof of caste based politics haunting the state yet again.
Modi said at the rally, "We gave a package for the state and even they have started talking about the package for the state. At least they are talking about development now." He referred to Nitish Kumar's announcement of Rs 2.7 lakh crore for development subsequent to the prime minister's earlier announcement of Rs 1.25 lakh crore as a special package for the state.
Hours after the massive rally at Bhagalpur, Nitish Kumar called a press conference in Patna and tried answering the PM in his own language. It has now boiled down to a war of statistics. Nitish Kumar questioning the figures quoted by the PM. He went to the extent of pointing the downfall in the Sensex and the overall growth rate of the economy. Nitish also questioned the data put by the PM at the rally pertaining to the state of Bihar.
"Where did he get his figures from? He possibly comes from a manufacturing state so the data might have been manufactured there," said Nitish Kumar.
The coming together of arch rivals Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav along with the Congress is largely being seen as formidable challenge for the NDA in the forthcoming elections. While Nitish Kumar time and again has been questioning the intent of the PM pertaining to the development of Bihar and also the fact that he remembered the state 15 months after the thumping victory in the Lok Sabha elections, the prime minister indicated, "I had never forgotten the state."
On the one hand while the central leadership of the BJP led by PM Narendra Modi is trying to hammer in to the electorate that the centre is doing much for the state Nitish kUmra is tearing into the so called tall claims and alleging that , "nothing new has been given to the state."
When asked weather the BJP will be going to the election on development plank Nitish Kumar said, " The BJP will go to the polls on caste and communal issues and not development."
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