Amidst the escalating political fervor in Bihar ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is poised to grace the state for the second time within a week.
Scheduled to visit Bettiah town, the nerve center of West Champaran district, in the afternoon, Modi will unveil projects totaling a staggering Rs 12,800 crore. Former state BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal, the incumbent local MP, issued a video plea, urging the populace to “assemble in significant numbers and extend a warm reception to the most cherished member of our family.”
Jaiswal’s insistence on “humaare parivaar ke sabse pyaare sadasya” echoes in response to the BJP’s “Modi ka Parivaar” initiative, a counter to a jibe by RJD president Lalu Prasad during a Patna rally on Sunday.
Prasad, whose trio of offspring, including the presumptive heir Tejashwi Yadav, are entrenched in politics, took digs at Modi, mocking him for lacking a familial circle.
The RJD luminary appeared miffed by Modi’s oratory in successive rallies in Aurangabad and Begusarai districts the day before, where the PM inaugurated projects exceeding Rs 1.5 lakh crore.
Modi vehemently criticized the RJD and its ally Congress, denouncing their exploitation of the social justice platform to legitimize “corruption and dynastic politics.” He also expressed satisfaction with the BJP-led NDA’s resurgence in Bihar, particularly with the return of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) head.
Reclaiming Kumar severed his ties with RJD, Congress, and the Left, presenting a formidable challenge for the NDA in Bihar. The prime minister has recently traversed diverse regions of the nation to initiate development projects, with the Election Commission poised to announce Lok Sabha polls and the impending imposition of the model code of conduct.
Projects set for inauguration in Bettiah include an LPG pipeline connecting Motihari and Muzaffarpur and the dedication of an Indian Oil LPG bottling and storage facility in Motihari to the nation.
As per state BJP media co-incharge Danish Eqbal, the PM’s aircraft will touch down at Kushinagar airport in neighboring Uttar Pradesh, approximately 100 km from Bettiah. He will then traverse the distance to the event venue via helicopter.