File photo

Muzaffarpur/Hajipur (Bihar):

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday lashed out at the opposition INDIA bloc, calling its leaders “cowards” who were “scared of Pakistan’s nuclear power”.

Addressing an election rally in Muzaffarpur Lok Sabha constituency of Bihar, PM Modi made an apparent reference to a recent statement of National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, without mentioning him by name.

“The INDIA bloc seems to have leaders who are scared of Pakistan and have nightmares of its nuclear power,” he said.

The remarks come in the backdrop of comments by Mr Abdullah about Pakistan having atom bombs and not wearing bangles.

“If Pakistan does not wear bangles, we will make the country wear these. I knew they did not have food grains. Now, I come to know they do not even have an adequate supply of bangles,” the PM said.

“But, we must look carefully at the opposition which seems to be full of cowards and timid people, who give a clean chit to Pakistan on terrorism, raise doubts on surgical strikes… their Left allies even want our nuclear arsenal to be dismantled,” he said.

ये देश का चुनाव है, ये हिंदुस्तान का भविष्य तय करने का चुनाव है, ये चुनाव देश का नेतृत्व चुनने का चुनाव है।

देश, कांग्रेस वाली कमजोर, डरपोक और ​अस्थिर सरकार बिल्कुल नहीं चाहता।

ये इंडी गठबंधन के नेताओं के कैसे बयान आ रहे हैं। कहते हैं कि पाकिस्तान ने चूड़ियां नहीं पहनी है।… pic.twitter.com/he1Yt8tMRC

— BJP Bihar (@BJP4Bihar) May 13, 2024

Earlier, addressing an election rally in Hajipur Lok Sabha constituency, PM Modi said the money recovered in raids against politicians “belonged to the country’s poor”.

“I will tell you why they are crying hoarse against the action of agencies like the ED. During the previous Congress regime, the ED seized only Rs 35 lakh, which could be contained in a school bag. Ever since we took over, the agency has recovered Rs 2,200 crore, which would require 70 small trucks to be carried,” said the PM.

PM Modi said unlike his opponents, who were concerned about promoting their offspring, “I have no ‘waaris’ (successor). The common people are my waaris”.

He reiterated the charge that parties like the Congress and RJD, which “allowed extortion and kidnapping to flourish” while in power, will “give away reservations” to Muslims “to pursue their vote bank politics”, but added that “as long as I am alive, I will not let this happen”.

“Kidnapping and extortion flourished during the RJD rule in Bihar… NDA fights for social justice, 60 per cent Union ministers from OBC/SC/ST categories,” he asserted.

The prime minister also accused the opposition parties of “deliberately hurting people’s sentiments by making obnoxious statements about the Ram temple in Ayodhya”.

Speaking on a day when the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections was underway, he urged the people to turn out in large numbers and vote for the NDA to enable the formation of a strong government.

In his speech, PM Modi also touched upon his government’s track record on development, citing the construction of highways at a rapid rate and underscoring commitment to social justice and empowerment, while accusing the opposition of trying to put hurdles in the way of measures like women’s reservations.

Fondly recalling late Ram Vilas Paswan, his former cabinet colleague, whose son Chirag is contesting from Hajipur, Modi called upon people to vote for the young leader and ensure his victory with a margin that could beat his father’s record-breaking wins.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)