Prime Minister Narendra Modi, doubling his push for Bihar votes today, extended the Yuvraj (Crown prince) jibe to two more leaders -- Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav -- and cited the BJP's victory over them in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh a few years ago. In Bihar too, two Crown Princes are fighting to save their throne, he said, without naming Rahul Gandhi, who held a series of rallies in the state earlier this week. The other is Tejashwi Yadav, whom he has designated "Jungle Raj ka Yuvraj" earlier this week in the most direct attack so far at the 31-year-old political heir of Lalu Yadav.
"Three or four years ago, even in the Uttar Pradesh elections, double princes were shaking hands with the people from atop buses. They were made to return home by the people of Uttar Pradesh," he said, referring to the alliance between Mr Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, the political heir of Mulayam Singh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party patriarch.
"A prince there has now met the prince of Jungle Raj," he said, adding like Uttar Pradesh, the two "crown princes" will bite the dust in Bihar.
"Today, in front of Bihar, there is a government of 'double engines'," he said, quoting Tejashwi Yadav's jibe at the state's alliance government of the BJP and Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United.
"On the other side there are double-double crowns. One of them is also the crown prince of Jungle Raj," he added, without naming Rahul Gandhi, whose Congress is an partner in the Grand Alliance of Tejashwi Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Left parties.
"The double-engined NDA government is committed to the development of Bihar. So the double crown princes are fighting to save their thrones," said PM Modi at the first of the day's four rallies in Chhapra, the home turf of Lalu Yadav.
AdvertisementOver the last decade, Mr Gandhi has been at the receiving end of BJP jibes over his Nehru-Gandhi legacy. Tejashwi Yadav has been similarly targeted over the 15-year rule of his parents in Bihar -- tagged "Jungle raj" by rival parties over its law and order issues.
Tejashwi Yadav has refused to react to the "crown prince of Jungle Raj" jibe.
AdvertisementThe young leader -- who has been drawing massive crowds at his rallies with his issue-based campaign -- said, "He is the country's Prime Minister, he can say anything". Then he had pointedly added that if PM Modi came to Bihar, he could have spoken about "more important issues", like a special package or unemployment.
