Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, today gave a clarion call for change in Bihar to usher in a new era of inclusive government belonging to everyone that will bring all-round progress and development in the state. Addressing a massive public rally along with the Mahagathbandhan Chief Ministerial and Deputy Chief Ministerial candidates, Tejashwi Yadav and Mukesh Sahani respectively, here today, Gandhi asked, if the people from Bihar can build cities like Dubai, Bangalore and Delhi, why can’t they build Bihar if given the right opportunities. Presenting the Mahagathbandhan’s vision for Bihar, he said the Grand Alliance aims to transform the state into one where people from other parts of the country would want to come for work. He added that the Mahagathbandhan seeks to bring Bihar to the forefront once again. Calling the people of Bihar capable, intelligent, and hard-working, he said the state has to move forward.
Mahagathbandhan government will be an inclusive one
Asserting that the Mahagathbandhan government will be an inclusive one, he said, it will represent every caste, community, and religion — including the extremely backward classes, backward classes, Dalits, minorities and the general category.
Recalling and reminding the people about the pride and glory of Bihar, he pointed out, Nalanda once used to be the cradle of knowledge for the world. We aim to make it global epicenter of knowledge once again where people from countries like China, Japan and Korea would come to seek knowledge. He pointed out, those countries had received their religion and religious teachings from Bihar. In the same context, he added, Bihar can become a centre for global tourism. But, he added, nothing had been done during the last twenty years of Nitish regime. He described Nitish as just a mask, saying that the real control was with the BJP. “The remote control is in the hands of the BJP,” he remarked. Gandhi recalled that during the UPA government at the Centre headed by Dr Manmohan Singh, a plan had been envisioned to revive the glory of Nalanda. He stated that people of Bihar are intelligent, wise, smart and hardworking — something he had personally witnessed during his twenty-day ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in the state. He said, given the right opportunities, people of Bihar will outshine everyone else.
Agenda of the Mahagathbandhan
Spelling out the development agenda of the Mahagathbandhan government, Rahul gandhi made a strong case for starting manufacturing in the state. He said, instead of importing ‘Made in China’ goods like mobile phones and garments, these should be ‘Made in Bihar’. For this, he said, factories should be set up which will provide jobs to Bihar’s youth. Reiterating and reaffirming his party’s stand on the caste census, which he said was essential for ensuring social justice, Gandhi said, Modi was not interested at all in providing social justice — he was only interested in their votes. Taking a dig at the Prime Minister for wanting to be seen bathing for Chhath Puja, he revealed that a separate clean water pond had been set up for him. “He is not concerned about Chhath Puja, but only about your votes,” Gandhi said, taunting him further, “you can make him even dance on the stage for your vote.”
Providing good healthcare
The senior Congress leader said that providing good healthcare, better education and jobs will be the top priorities of the Mahagathbandhan.
He also cautioned people against the ‘vote chori’ (vote theft) by the BJP, saying it had stolen the Maharashtra and Haryana elections and would attempt to do the same in Bihar. He appealed to every voter in Bihar to cast their vote to prevent such electoral theft. Those present in the public meeting included K. C. Venugopal, Tejashwi Yadav, Mukesh Sahani, I. P. Gupta, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Rajesh Ram and others.
