Sitamarhi: Union home minister Amit Shah, on Friday, lashed out at the Congress and its ally – the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) – for their criticism of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar.
Addressing a gathering at Punauradham in the state’s Sitamarhi district, Shah said that the opposition parties are looking for excuses as they have accepted defeat in the upcoming Assembly elections in the state. Bihar goes to the polls later this year. He was at Punauradham to lay the foundation stone for redevelopment of the Mata Janki Mandir.
According to him, by opposing the SIR, the RJD and the Congress are protecting those who come from Bangladesh and snatch away jobs from the youth of the state. The Union home minister further launched an attack on Rahul Gandhi and said that the SIR is not happening for the first time. Pointing out that It was started by Jawaharlal Nehru, and happened in 2003, he urged the Leader of Opposition (LOP) in the Lok Sabha to stop his vote bank politics.
“…Who does Lalu Prasad Yadav want to save? … Do you want to save those Bangladeshis who come from outside and snatch jobs from the people of Bihar? … Rahul Gandhi should stop this vote bank politics and the SIR is not happening for the first time. It was started by Jawaharlal Nehru and it happened in 2003 as well…They are finding reasons for their loss in the Bihar elections,” Shah said.
Saying that the names of infiltrators will be removed from the voters’ list during the SIR of the electoral rolls, the home minister also attacked the Congress and the RJD for their stance on Operation Sindoor.
“The Congress party and Lalu are opposing Operation Sindoor in Parliament…Lalu and company do not know that this is the government of Narendra Modi. This is the NDA government and under it, no one has the right to mess with the security of the nation,” he said.
Punauradham in Sitamarhi district is considered the birthplace of Ma Sita. The foundation stone-laying ceremony of the project, worth more than Rs 882.87 crore, was also attended by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary, several Union ministers and other dignitaries.
Shah performed ’bhoomi pujan’ and unveiled the design of the Ma Janki Mandir for its redevelopment. He also virtually flagged off the Sitamarhi-Delhi Amrit Bharat Express.
The Bihar Cabinet had sanctioned Rs 882.87 crore for the integrated development of the temple complex on July 1 this year. Of the total amount, Rs 137 crore would be spent on the development of the old temple and its premises, while Rs 728 crore would be used for tourism-related activities, officials said. Another Rs 16 crore would be spent on comprehensive maintenance for 10 years.