Sitamarhi/Bettiah: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the grand alliance, likening it to "3 idiots", as he dared Nitish Kumar to seize "convicted" RJD chief Lalu Prasad's properties and questioned Congress president Sonia Gandhi's silence on sting videos of JD(U) and RJD MLAs accepting bribes.
Addressing back to back election rallies in Sitamarhi and Bettiah, Modi rubbished Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's good governance claims, citing sting operations which allegedly showed two JD(U) MLAs, including a minister, and an RJD legislator accepting bribes.
Modi said it was part of a plan to "sell" Bihar and questioned Congress president Sonia Gandhi's silence on it.
"Madam Soniaji, you also answer this. Speak something. What do you have to say about this exchange of money in front of camera. Do you think this was a small transaction? Do you think it should have been bigger? Do you think they took the money but did not distribute the share?
"The Congress party is engaging in all sorts of baseless allegations to mislead you (the people) but is keeping its mouth shut when Bihar is being sold," Modi said, addressing a rally in Bettiah.
Taking Nitish Kumar head on over his 'Bihari' versus 'Bahari' (outsider) pitch, Modi said," Prime Minister cannot be called an outsider as he has equal stakes in all states of the country like a Chief Minister has in all districts of his state."
Seeking to corner Kumar on the corruption issue, Modi latched on to the sting vides of two JD(U) MLAs taking bribe.
"Nitishji used to say he will seize property of the corrupt and open a school there. Leave others but ensure this in case of the person with whom you have allied--Lalu Prasad, who has been convicted by the court. Seize Lalu's property and open a school there. At least work truly once," he said.
Modi also hit back at Nitish who had yesterday mouthed a limerick set to a film song to attack him, while equating the JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance to '3 Idiots'. He also advised the JD(U) leader to perfect the art of "Mushaira" and practise it at leasure after the Bihar polls.
"I have been noticing that Laluji entertains well and Bihar is getting some entertainment after many years. But these days there is an intense rivalry going on between Laluji and Nitishji on many issues--protecting the criminals, doing nepotism, breaking off from truth. Now the competition is also in the field of entertainment.
"Yesterday, I saw Nitishji doing some Mushaira. He felt that he will call some courtiers and journalists, recite poems and defeat Lalu by starting a new form of entertainment. I knew there are three partners in the grand alliance - Congress RJD and JD(U). But I wonder why Nitish Babu chose a song from the film Three Idiots for his first Mushaira. Even if you wanted to parody a poem why did you think of the Three Idiots," Modi said addressing a rally in Sitamarhi.
Kumar, the grand alliance's chief ministerial candidate, had yesterday mocked Modi for not keeping promises and his frequent trips abroad using a song from Bollywood blockbuster 'Three Idiots'.
"Bahti Hawa sa tha woh, Gujarat se aaya tha woh, kaala
dhan laane wala thaa wo, kahan gaya use doondho. Humko desh ki fikr sataati hai, woh bus videsh ke daure lagaate hain, humko badhti mahangai satata, wo bas mann ki baat sunata. Har waqt apni selfie khinchta tha woh, Dawood ko laane wala tha woh, kahan gaya use dhoondo," Nitish had said, parodying a song from the film.
(He was like the blowing wind, from Gujarat he came with promise to bring back black money, where has he gone? Find him. While we worry about the country, he travels abroad; While price rise bothers us, he tells us only his 'mann ki baat. Always busy clicking selfies, he promised to bring back Dawood. Where has he gone? Find him.
Hitting back, Modi said, "What a game of entertainment Nitish Babu! You still have a week's time. Spend it doing this. Call your four-six courtiers, hold a Mushaira.
"Practise it, perfect it, you will get many opportunities after November 8 (the day of counting). You can then sing at leisure songs of your suffering and shed tears ruing why you left someone, why you joined someone. Keep writing poems on all this and keep shedding tears," Modi said.
He was apparently referring to Kumar breaking ties with BJP in June 2013 after being together for 17 years following Modi's appointment as his party's campaign chief for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and then joining hands with his arch rival RJD chief Lalu Prasad for the Assembly elections in Bihar.
Under attack over alleged attempts at tinkering with quotas, Modi today again hit back, accusing Bihar's grand alliance of conspiring to give away five per cent share in reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs to "a particular community" through the "back door".
"Attempts are being made for stealing reservation as well. A game is going on from back door. This has been the business of Nitish and Lalu. As fodder was gobbled up, they also want to take away five percent reservation. A game is going on take away 5 percent quota from the arrangment of reservation made by Baba Saheb Ambedkar and give it to a particular community," the Prime Minister said.
About the sting operations, Modi said,"One fears even to imagine what kind of plans to sell Bihar would have been hatched by those who have not yet been caught. They can even allow the auction of Bihar. They have been caught on camera saying five more ministers will have to be given something.
"One RJD candidate has also been caught red handed but Laluji does not seem to be bothered. Lalu feels he is a kid in corruption in comparison to his own involvement in fodder scam. He seems to be telling the legislator not to worry and follow him in the matter of corruption," Modi said.
