Bihar BJP leaders get victory mantra from PM Modi on upcoming polls

Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Bihar, on Thursday gave the mantra for victory in the upcoming assembly polls to BJP leaders of the state.

PM Modi spent close to an hour at the party's Birchand Patel Marg office in Patna in the evening, before heading for a private function at Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha's residence, from where he retired for the night at the Raj Bhavan.

Briefing reporters, state BJP president Dilip Jaiswal said, "PM Modi asked us to focus on two things. The first is to apprise the people of the benefits of government schemes. The second is to ensure that all sections of the society get a place in the organisation." "We were fortunate to have the PM among us, who was earlier scheduled to spend only 45 minutes, but chose to stay on for a longer period of time. Yes, he also touched upon the Operation Sindoor, stressing that it has demonstrated to the world the valour of India," he added.

Asked whether the issue of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) president, leading the NDA charge was also raised at the meeting, Jaiswal replied in the negative, saying, "It was not one of those meetings where such matters are discussed. The agenda was decided beforehand." He claimed the opposition has grown jittery over the rise in public appeal of PM Modi, who now has an unprecedented achievement to speak of in the successful recent military operation against terrorists in Pakistan.

Later, Sinha, whose son is getting married, shared pictures of the PM at his Strand Road residence on social media, stating that "it was an unforgettable moment for all party workers".

Modi began his tour by inaugurating a new terminal of the Patna airport and a new civil enclave at Bihta, on the outskirts of the city, both of which together cost more than Rs 2,300 crore and promise to bring "world-class experience" to air travellers of the region.

Thereafter, he led a massive roadshow, which began from outside the Aranya Bhawan near the airport and concluded at the state BJP office, around 4 km away. The journey took more than an hour as the PM's vehicle moved at a snail's pace.

Thousands of people gathered on two sides of the road and on rooftops to catch a glimpse of Modi, who greeted them from inside his car with folded hands and a wave.

Huge posters and banners, with the PM's picture alongside the bold inscription 'Operation Sindoor', which saw Indian armed forces destroying terror hideouts deep inside Pakistan, dotted the route.

Security personnel frantically tried to keep pace with the PM's vehicle, amid showers of flower petals by people standing behind barricades, many of whom waved the national flag and chanted "Bharat Mata Ki Jai".

Among the bystanders were a sizeable number of women in saffron turbans, blowing conch shells.

They also had their foreheads smeared with a generous amount of 'sindoor', which has come to be seen as a metaphor for the military operation against those behind the dastardly attack, in which more than 20 tourists were segregated from their wives and shot dead after being made to reveal the faith to which they belonged.

"We are here to thank the PM, on behalf of Bihar's women, for demonstrating to the world the power of sindoor," said one such group of spectators.

The PM is scheduled to wind up his tour of the state on Friday with a rally in Rohtas district, where he will also unveil development projects worth more than Rs 48,000 crore.