NDA Rolls Out Wall-to-Wall Canvassing for Third Phase
Patna: November 11, 2005
Leaving no stone unturned for the third phase of the state Assembly polls, nearly everyone who is anybody in the NDA fold went on a major offensive against the Congress-Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) alliance blasting it for the all the misery faced by Bihar despite the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's flattering statement about the 15 years of Lalu-Rabri rule in the state.
The Janata Dal (U) leader and NDA Chief Ministerial candidate Nitish Kumar, In Darbhanga on Thursday, shunned the rhetoric and went straight to the real reason why he was there. "Give us one chance we will change the face of Bihar for good," Kumar said.
"In the new Bihar there will be plenty of job opportunities, less crime, availability of basic amenities to all, and the rights of poor, backwards, and minorities restored," the JD-U leader said.
Besides Darbhanga, Kumar, along with the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Sushil Kumar Modi, addressed rallies at Ghanshyampur, Manigachhi, Hayaghat, Baheri, Simri and Madhubani asking voters for their support. "You gave the RJD 15 years, we are asking for only 5 years. If you are not happy and satisfied with us after that, I will never come back to you asking for your vote again," said Kumar.
Meanwhile, the BJP president L. K. Advani accused the RJD chief and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav for pushing the state into a deep abyss and turning the state into a safe haven for criminals.
Lampooning the UPA government at the Center, Advani said that it was like a car whose steering, which should have been in the hands of the Prime Minister, was instead being controlled by the Congress president Sonia Gandhi and its brake was in the hand of leftists.
"The condition in Bihar is just like the condition of India during the Emergency days. Constitution was being butchered then by those in power, constitution is being murdered here in Bihar now. This will be the ultimate downfall of Lalu and his cohorts," Advani said while addressing rallies at Saharsa, Bettiah, Sitamarhi, and Motihari.
In Kishanganj, senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said this election could determine the course of Bihar for next 20-30 years. "If you miss it this time, it might be too late even for your children," Swaraj said while asking people to vote for the NDA. "You must rise above the caste and religion considerations in the greater interest of Bihar," she told the crowd.
Swaraj also attended rallies at Narpatganj in Araria and Forbesganj. "This is not just about elections in Bihar, this is a war against an autocratic government, a battle against injustice and corruption," she said.
Other leaders who addressed rallies at various parts in Bihar included the BJP leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad, Murali Manohar Joshi, Shahnawaz Hussain, Sushil Kumar Modi, and NDA convener George Fernandes.
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