Just a day after lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bhojpuri actor-singer and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Khesari Lal Yadav has taken aim at the BJP-led government, questioning its long-term vision for Bihar.
Yadav, who joined the RJD earlier this month and is contesting from the Chapra constituency in the upcoming Bihar elections, voiced concern that despite nearly two decades of NDA rule in the state, Bihar continues to grapple with unemployment, poor education, and inadequate healthcare facilities.
“I have great respect for Modiji — I still do. He’s never done anything wrong. But why hasn’t his development model reached Bihar?” Yadav told a section of the media on October 16. “They’ve been in power at the Centre for 15 years and in Bihar for 20, yet where are the jobs, the universities, the hospitals? Why do we only get new trains instead of factories?”
The RJD candidate urged the prime minister to replicate Gujarat’s growth story in Bihar. “You transformed Gujarat; at least make Bihar half as developed as that state,” he added.
Responding to PM Modi’s repeated criticism of the RJD’s alleged “jungle raj,” Yadav countered that the NDA government has failed to bring real change to the state. “Even today, investors are afraid to set up industries here because leaders from the ruling party themselves keep invoking the term ‘jungle raj.’ If you’ve been in power for 20 years and the situation is still the same, what exactly have you improved?” he questioned.
A video clip of Yadav praising Modi went viral on Thursday after being shared by the BJP’s official handle on X. However, during the nomination filing for his Chapra seat, Yadav struck a sharply different tone, calling migration Bihar’s most pressing challenge. He accused the NDA government of “intentionally creating a labour force” by failing to build industries in the state.
“How can it be that not a single major factory has been set up in 15 years?” he asked. Yadav reiterated the RJD’s commitment to curbing migration by creating employment opportunities, claiming that the NDA has only “maligned Bihar’s image by spreading the myth of jungle raj, which never truly existed.”
Also Read: The Fractured First Family Of Bihar And Its’ Fault Lines https://www.vibesofindia.com/the-lalu-prasad-yadav-family-and-their-widening-differences/
