Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mega rally in Bihar on Friday stirred up unexpected political chatter after two Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLAs were spotted on stage during his address. The Prime Minister, while lashing out at the RJD over corruption, had Vibha Devi (MLA from Nawada) and Prakash Veer (MLA from Rajauli) seated quietly at the back of the dais.

Vibha Devi, wife of former MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav who was recently acquitted in a rape case, and Prakash Veer’s presence immediately set off speculation of a political shift.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, moved quickly to quash rumours of cross-party alignment. BJP MP Vivek Thakur told NDTV that the event was government-led and all legislators, cutting across party lines, were invited. “It depends on how people look at it. Projects worth thousands of crores were launched, so MLAs, MPs and MLCs from every party were invited. Some turned up, some didn’t,” he said.

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During the rally, PM Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation of projects worth over ₹13,000 crore, flagged off the Amrit Bharat Express between Gayaji and Delhi, and launched the Buddhist Circuit train between Vaishali and Koderma. He also inaugurated the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre at Muzaffarpur and unveiled a ₹520 crore sewerage treatment project at Munger.

Handing over symbolic keys to more than 12,000 beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin), Modi used the occasion to hit out at the RJD and Congress for opposing bills that seek automatic removal of ministers and chief ministers jailed for over 30 days.

“Why should a Prime Minister or a Chief Minister continue in office from jail, when even a government clerk loses his job after 50 hours in custody? RJD leaders have always been linked to corruption, and Bihar knows this truth well,” Modi declared to a roaring crowd.

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