Intensifying his election campaign in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today accused the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress of trying to erode each other’s political base, claiming that their hidden rivalry would erupt once the elections were over.

Addressing a rally here, the Prime Minister said that the RJD’s internal discord was evident as the party’s posters no longer featured the image of its top leader. “What has that leader done that his face is being deliberately kept out of sight?” Modi asked, taking a jibe at the opposition camp.

He said the alliance between the RJD and the Congress was purely opportunistic and that the differences between their young leaders were growing by the day. The two ‘yuvrajs’ (Tejaswi Yadav and Rahul Gandhi) who recently shared a political stage are no longer on talking terms, he said, claiming the Grand Alliance’s manifesto ignored the Congress prince and Congress too had initially refused to back the RJD prince as the Chief Ministerial face. Finally, RJD forced them into an agreement in its own traditional way, he alleged.

Modi claimed that Congress wanted RJD’s political ground in Bihar to shrink and that the party’s leaders had deliberately made offensive remarks during the Chhath Mahaparv to provoke public sentiment and turn people against the RJD. Their friendship is merely for show and will last only till the elections, after which chaos and conflict between them are certain, he added.

The Prime Minister also targeted the opposition for inviting leaders who had previously insulted Bihar and its people. “A Congress Chief Minister and a DMK leader from Tamil Nadu, both known for their derogatory remarks against Bihar, were brought here. Even a leader from Kerala once mocked Biharis. Very soon the alliance partners will start abusing each other publicly,” Modi remarked.

Highlighting the NDA government’s developmental record, the Prime Minister said the election was a contest between “development and jungle raj.” He mentioned that 60 lakh houses had been built for the poor under the NDA, including one lakh homes in Katihar district alone. He also said that the Rs 6,000 annual aid given to farmers by the Centre had been increased to Rs 9,000 with the support of the state government.

Speaking on women’s empowerment, Modi praised the combined efforts of the Centre and Bihar government. "Nitish gave women bicycles, Modi made them drone pilots, Nitish created ‘Jeevika Didis’, Modi made them ‘Lakhpati Didis’. Under the Chief Minister Employment Scheme, over 1.4 crore women received Rs 10,000 each as incentive,” he said.

Cautioning the people against corruption, Modi said that every rupee of welfare benefits reaches beneficiaries directly, without bribes, whereas earlier, middlemen used to swallow most of the funds. The corrupt leaders of the GA now want to grab this money meant for the poor, he alleged.

Modi also raised concerns over infiltration in the Seemanchal and Kosi regions, including Katihar, Purnea, Kishanganj and Araria, alleging that the opposition was disturbing the demographic balance for vote-bank politics.

“Once the population balance is disturbed, locals will lose their rights to infiltrators who will snatch away opportunities in education, jobs, and welfare schemes. Support the NDA to stop this,” he urged.

The Prime Minister described the RJD as the “enemy of development” and recalled the pre-2005 era "when Bihar was plagued by misgovernance". Before Nitish Kumar took charge as chief minister, the rulers used to say that good roads cause accidents, electricity causes shocks and floodwaters entering homes bring good luck but Bihar has now moved far ahead of that lantern (RJD's poll symbol) era, Modi said.

He noted that Katihar, once among the most backward districts, was now listed as an aspirational District. “Even Purnea, once called ‘Kala Pani’, now has its own airport and is progressing rapidly,” he said.

Mocking the opposition’s manifesto, Modi said that those who once lived off extortion are now pretending to talk about development out of fear of NDA’s success. He also spoke of initiatives such as the National Makhana Board and fishery development projects, promising to industrialise the region and curb migration by creating new opportunities for youth.

Modi urged young voters to learn from their parents about the “dark days of jungle raj” and ensure an NDA victory to prevent Bihar from returning to that era.