Kharge mocks Modi, Nitish for ‘jungle raj’ talk, says BJP will ditch Nitish after polls

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, accusing both leaders of resorting to “empty rhetoric” about law and order in Bihar while ignoring their own long stints in power.

Speaking at a press conference in Patna, Kharge questioned how the BJP-JD(U) alliance could still invoke “jungle raj” — a phrase long used by the NDA to attack the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) — despite having governed the state for nearly two decades.

“Modi has been prime minister for 11 years and Nitish Kumar has ruled Bihar for 20. After two decades in power, how can they still talk about jungle raj?” Kharge asked. “This only shows that the prime minister has nothing new to say — no achievement to show, no progress to speak of. When you have no record, you repeat old slogans.”

Kharge also questioned Nitish Kumar’s conspicuous absence from the prime minister’s campaign trail, noting that the JD(U) chief did not accompany Modi during his roadshow in Patna or his election rallies in Arrah and Nawada on Sunday.

“Nitish Kumar was missing from the PM’s roadshow and rallies. Even during the release of the NDA manifesto, he wasn’t allowed to speak,” Kharge said. “It is clear that Modi does not intend to make him chief minister again. This is Modi’s strategy — to use Nitish and then sink him.”

The Congress leader claimed that BJP leaders were “hatching a conspiracy” within the NDA, adding that Nitish’s diminishing visibility on the campaign trail reflected “deep distrust” between the alliance partners.

Political analysts have noted a visible cooling in ties between the BJP and JD(U) despite their electoral partnership, with speculation rife over whether the BJP might project its own chief ministerial face after the polls.

Kharge also targeted the Bihar government over its recent cash transfer scheme for women, under which Rs 10,000 was credited into their bank accounts shortly before the announcement of the election schedule.

“Nitish Kumar thought women would vote for him just because of this Rs 10,000 transfer,” Kharge said. “But the people of Bihar are politically very sharp. Even if someone deposits Rs 10 lakh, they will still vote thoughtfully. They know this is an election gimmick.”

He questioned why the BJP-JD(U) government had failed to take such initiatives in its 20 years of rule, suggesting the move was a desperate last-minute attempt to influence voters.

Turning his fire on the prime minister, Kharge accused Modi of evading accountability on key national issues — including unemployment, price rise, education, and farmers’ demands for a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP).

“The prime minister has nothing to say about education, health, employment or inflation,” Kharge said. “He no longer talks about demonetisation or MSP. Instead, he gives false promises. He is jhoothon ke sardar — the leader of liars.”

Kharge said Modi had also failed to deliver on his promises to the youth, mocking his earlier suggestion that job seekers could “fry pakoras” and his more recent quip about "making social media reels".

“He is the prime minister of India, not a motivational speaker,” Kharge remarked. “He should tell the youth what his government has actually done, and what it plans to do next.”

Reiterating the Mahagathbandhan’s campaign promises, Kharge said that if voted to power in Bihar, the alliance would raise the reservation ceiling beyond 50 per cent to ensure fair representation for marginalised communities. “We will fulfil our promises, just as we did in Rajasthan and Telangana,” he asserted.

The grand alliance — comprising the RJD, Congress, and Left parties — is seeking to challenge the BJP-JD(U) coalition in a contest that has turned increasingly polarised between economic governance and caste justice.

Responding to Modi’s recent comment that the Congress had accepted Tejashwi Yadav as the opposition’s chief ministerial face only after the RJD “held a katta (crude country-made pistol) to its kan patti (ear)” at it, Kharge said the prime minister had crossed all limits of political decorum.

“Was Modi there when this supposed incident happened?” Kharge asked. “What kind of language is the prime minister using? No one can intimidate the Congress. We are not afraid of anyone. Our alliance is moving forward with respect and unity.”

The Congress chief said such remarks reflected Modi’s growing frustration rather than confidence, adding that personal attacks and rhetorical diversions were being used to distract voters from issues of governance and livelihood.

Kharge’s sharp remarks come as both alliances intensify their campaigns in Bihar, where the BJP is banking on Modi’s national popularity, while the INDIA bloc — led by the RJD and Congress — is pitching a mix of social justice and anti-incumbency sentiment.

Assembly elections in Bihar are set to be held in two phases on 6 and 11 November, with vote counting scheduled for 14 November.

With PTI inputs