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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (October 30, 2025) slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remark on Chhath Puja, accusing him of insulting the holy festival. Mr. Gandhi on Wednesday (October 29), while addressing a rally in Muzaffarpur, had said that PM Modi did “drama in the name of Chhath Puja” and can “even dance on stage for vote”. Also read: Bihar Assembly election LIVE updates on October 30 “You’ve seen that your son here is busy making the world chant praises for Chhathi Maiya. On the other hand, these Congress and RJD leaders are insulting Chhathi Maiya. Can anyone ever insult Chhathi Maiya just to win votes in an election? Can such an insult be tolerated by Bihar, India? Can my mothers who observe the strict fast without water tolerate it?” PM Modi said while addressing the rally in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur. He added, “How shamelessly the people of RJD and Congress are speaking. For them, the worship of the Chhathi Maiya is a farce and drama. Shouldn’t such people be punished?” “The women who observe such a long fast without water, the women who stand in the river Ganga and offer Arghya to the sun god. In the eyes of the RJD-Congress, they are calling it a drama. Will the mothers and sisters of Bihar tolerate this insult to Chhathi Maiya? I know that no person from Bihar can forget this insult to Chhathi Maiya,” Mr. Modi said. He added that the Central government is trying to get a UNESCO heritage tag for the Chhath festival. Mr. Modi asserted that the RJD and the Congress “can never develop Bihar” and that despite these parties ruling Bihar for years, they have “only betrayed people”. “The identity of RJD and Congress people is from five things — gun, cruelty, bitterness, misgovernance and corruption,” Mr. Modi alleged. He pointed out that to move Bihar forward, there is a need for enterprises, industries which require land, electricity, connectivity, and the rule of law. “Think about it, those whose history is grabbing land, will they give land to any industry? Those who kept Bihar in the lantern era, can they provide electricity? Will those who looted the railways improve connectivity in Bihar? Those who broke records of corruption and scams, can they bring the rule of law?” Mr. Modi alleged. He explained that where there is a “rule of gun and cruelty”, the law breaks down, and where the RJD and the Congress are, there is an increased bitterness and harmony in society becomes difficult. Mr. Modi added, “Where there is the misrule of RJD and Congress, there is no trace of development, and where there is corruption, social justice is not attained.” He included that the rights of the poor are looted, and only a few families flourish. “Such people can never do good for Bihar,” he said. Praising his own government, Mr. Modi said that Bihar has witnessed good governance under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). He informed that in Bihar, railway engines are being manufactured, large dairy plants are being set up, and makhana, an indigenous product from the State, is now reaching around the world. He asserted that one gets scared while recalling the “Jungle Raj”, which witnessed a dangerous situation. Mr. Modi recalled the Golu kidnapping case that happened during the RJD government. “In the same city, in 2001, while going to school, a small child was kidnapped in broad daylight by criminals, and they demanded a large sum of money in return. When the money could not be paid, these ‘RJD thugs’ killed that small child into pieces,“ Mr. Modi alleged. He further alleged that in the “jungle raj”, such incidents were happening regularly across Bihar. PM Modi also claimed that around 35,000 to 40,000 kidnappings had taken place during the RJD regime. “RJD did not care about the crying and wailing parents, nor today do they have any concern for your joys and sorrows. The intentions of RJD and Congress are clear from their campaign songs. Their songs include references to country bombs, pistols, and double-barrel guns. This is a reflection of their mindset,” Mr. Modi said. He asserted that he and Nitish Kumar are empowering women. Without naming them, he called Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav “princes who have opened a shop of false promises”. “One is the prince of India’s most corrupt families, and the other is the prince of Bihar’s most corrupt family. Both of them are out on bail in scams worth thousands of crores,” Mr. Modi said. He alleged that both leaders hurled abuses at him non-stop on Wednesday (October 29). “Those who are ‘naamdar’ [famous] will obviously abuse this ‘kaamdar’ [worker]. A ‘naamdar’ can’t digest their food without abusing a ‘kaamdar’. Abusing Dalits and backward classes is something these ‘naamdars’ consider their birthright. That’s why these people keep insulting me 24 hours a day,” Mr. Modi said.
