'Can Bihar remain safe if...': Amit Shah attacks RJD over ticket to gangster Shahabuddin’s son

The RJD has fielded Shahab from the Raghunathpur assembly constituency in Siwan district, a region once considered Shahabuddin's stronghold.

Updated on: Oct 17, 2025, 16:48:31 IST

By HT News Desk

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Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for fielding Osama Shahab, the son of the late gangster Mohammad Shahabuddin, in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, questioning whether a party that gives tickets to such candidates can ensure the security of its people.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that under the NDA's leadership, Bihar was made free from 'jungle raj' in the last 20 years. (ANI)

Shah, who was speaking at an election rally in Saran district, made the remark while campaigning for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is seeking to retain power in the poll-bound state.

"I have seen RJD - Rashtriya Janata Dal's candidates' list, and it contains the name of Shahabuddin's son. Can Bihar remain safe if RJD gives the election ticket to Shahabuddin's son?" Shah said.

Also Read | Bihar seat-sharing talks: INDIA bloc in disarray as Congress releases list without RJD

The RJD has fielded Shahab from the Raghunathpur assembly constituency in Siwan district, a region once considered Shahabuddin's stronghold.

Shah further added that under NDA and chief minister Nitish Kumar's leadership, Bihar was made free from 'jungle raj' in the last 20 years.

"If one has to take a vow to fight against Lalu's 'jungle raj', or remind about how Lalu-Rabri had kept Bihar's youth in check 20 years ago, then Saran is the best-suited place for that," he added.

Also Read | Congress releases first list of candidates for Bihar polls, state unit chief Rajesh Ram fielded from Kutumba

The remarks come as political temperatures rise ahead of the assembly polls, which are scheduled to be held on November 6 and November 11, with counting set for November 14.

Amit Shah on the state of NDA-led Bihar

Listing the development works undertaken by the NDA government in the state, the senior BJP leader said that now it doesn't even take five hours to travel from one corner of Bihar to another because of the slew of infrastructure projects implemented.

"This development has been done together by PM Narendra Modi and CM Nitish Kumar. Before our government came here, migration, extortion, murders, and kidnappings were common. But we have built a lot of engineering and medical colleges, and upgraded roads," he said.

Also Read | Nitish raises Bihar’s past at NDA campaign launch

Shah claimed the NDA government in the state successfully curbed migration.

"People of Bihar are celebrating four Diwalis this year -- on the day of Diwali, on the day when the NDA government transferred ₹10,000 into the accounts of 'Jeevika Didis', on the day when GST was reduced, and on November 14, when the results of the elections will be announced," he said.

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