Bihar won't forgive insult to 'Chhathi Maiyya', says Modi

A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched an all-out attack on Prime Ninister Narendra Modi, the latter lit into him and the Opposition’s chief ministerial face Tejashwi Yaday, in two back-to-back rallies in Bihar’s Chapra and Motipur on Thursday.

- RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR

Lamponing them as princes who want to bring back ‘jungle raj’ in Bihar, he alleged that their parties have always been mired in corruption and scams.

Responding to a Rahul barb on the PM’s participation in the ‘Chhath puja’, Modi said it was an insult to ‘Chhathi Maiyya’ and her devotees. “For some, the worship of ‘Chhathi Maiyya’ was mere drama,” he said, adding that no person from Bihar could forget this insult.

He informed the gatherings that the Centre is working to get ‘Chhath’ included in UNESCO's list. “We are continuously striving to include Chhath Mahaparv in UNESCO’s list of world heritage as humanity’s grand festival,” he said, drawing loud applause from the crowds.

Mocking the two ‘princes’ he said, “Both of them are on bail in scams worth thousands of crores of rupees.”

Reviving memories of the ‘jungle raj’ during RJD’s tenure in power, Modi recalled the frequent kidnappings during that time, including in Muzaf-farpur, where a young boy Golu was abducted while on his way to school in 2001. “When his parents could not pay the large ransom, RJD henchmen brutally dismembered the boy,” Modi said.