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Shah trains guns at RJD at grand event to honour 1857 hero
Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday lashed out at the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the main opposition party in Bihar, reminding people of the “jungle raj” in the state before 2005 when the BJP-JD(U) combine wrested power from the RJD in assembly polls
Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday lashed out at the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the main opposition party in Bihar, reminding people of the “jungle raj” in the state before 2005 when the BJP-JD(U) combine wrested power from the RJD in assembly polls.
Shah was speaking at an event to mark the 164th anniversary of the victory of Veer Kunwar Singh, the then king of Jagdishpur who is regarded as one of the heroes of the Revolt of 1857, over the British forces. The event was organised as part of “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”’, the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence.
Shah’s “jungle raj” remark comes against the backdrop of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar attending an Iftaar party hosted by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Friday, amid the ongoing political posturing between BJP and JD(U), the two main constituents of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the state.
“People will not forget about the jungle raj, the spate of murders, loot and scams by merely removing the photograph of Lalu Prasad from its (RJD) posters,” the home minister said.
“Can we ever forget the state’s condition during the Lalu-Rabri regime?”, he said, addressing the huge crowd.
Earlier, Shah held an informal meeting with chief minister Kumar, who went to receive him at the Patna airport, after he touched down in the state capital around noon. It was not immediately clear what transpired between the two. BJP’s state unit president Dr Sanjay Jaiswal was also present at the meeting.
Shah, responding to his cabinet colleague RK Singh’s request, also announced to build a memorial in the name of Veer Kunwar Singh at Jagdishpur, which falls into Ara, a constituency RK Singh represents in the Lok Sabha.
The former BJP chief told the gathering that reminding the younger generation of sacrifices made by freedom fighters was a key component of “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” as envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He also recalled the role of RSS ideologue VD Savarkar in highlighting the contributions of the likes of Veer Kunwar Singh. Savarkar had called the Revolt of 1857 “India’s first war of Independence” and authored an eponymous book.
He said Modi had set a target of making India number one in the world by 2047, when the nation celebrates the centenary of its Independence.
Shah was effusive in praise for the people who had come out in large numbers despite “such hot weather”.
Speakers hailed Shah for his role in bringing about “complete national integration by scrapping of Article 370”.
Earlier, former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi hailed Shah’s announcement in Bhopal on Friday about implementing the uniform civil code in BJP-ruled states, beginning with Uttarakhand.
This was Shah’s first visit to the state after the 2020 assembly elections.
The Guinness bid
The meeting at Jagdishpur’s Dular ground, where Veer Kunwar Singh fought against the forces of the East India Company, was also aimed at enthusing patriotism among the youth, as 78,022 waved the Indian tricolour.
More than 75,000 people, 78,022 to be precise, simultaneously waved the Indian national flag at Jagdishpur’s Dular ground, where the meeting was held, breaking the record set 18 years ago in an event in Pakistan.
The attendees were made to wear bands for physical identification and camera trap was installed, with Guinness Book of World Records for supervision. The crowds applauded when the gigantic screen installed at the venue put the headcount of flag wavers at 78,022.
