Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during a rally in Bihar’s Khagaria district ahead of the state Assembly elections. Taking a sharp dig, Shah said Gandhi’s “Ghuspetiya Bachao Yatra” symbolized misplaced priorities, accusing him of siding with infiltrators over national interests. He urged the electorate to decide whether the upcoming polls would usher in “Jungle Raj” or “Vikas Raj” in Bihar.

“This election is not just to make someone an MLA, minister, or Chief Minister. It is to decide whether Bihar will fall back into jungle raj or march toward vikas raj (development),” Shah declared while addressing a massive crowd. His remarks come as the political temperature rises in the state ahead of a fiercely contested poll season.

Shah also took aim at Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, son of former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, over his comments on law and order. “I was listening to how Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son was talking about crime and corruption in Bihar. This is, ‘Sau chuhe kha kar, billi haj ko chali’,” he quipped, invoking a Hindi proverb to accuse the RJD of hypocrisy on governance.

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Emphasizing the BJP-led NDA’s record, Shah said that under the central government’s policies, Bihar had been freed from the grips of Naxal violence and had seen rapid infrastructure and welfare development. “This election will decide whether Bihar returns to Lalu and Rabri’s jungle raj or continues on the path of progress. If you bring the NDA to power, Bihar will be known for vikas throughout India,” he said, drawing a rousing response from the audience.

Concluding his speech with a metaphor of unity, Shah described the NDA as “five Pandavas” working toward the state’s progress. “Bless this alliance and make it victorious,” he appealed, positioning the ruling coalition as a united front against the RJD-led opposition ahead of one of Bihar’s most high-stakes elections in recent years.

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