In Bihar, Modi strikes chord through ‘sop opera’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi struck an emotional chord with Bihar on Sunday while doling out sops worth Rs 33,000 crore for the State.

Adept at turning government functions into a party programme, Modi also announced another ‘sop opera’ of Rs 7 lakh crore for those small and marginal farmers, who have been promised Rs 6000 per year as cash compensation in the interim Budget presented this month.

Modi was addressing the gathering at Begusarai after laying the foundation for the expansion of production capacity of Barauni Oil Refinery from six million metric tonnes to nine million metric tonnes per annum.

“I am aware of your deep anguish and anger after the terror attack in Pulwama. But let me tell you, I am as angry as you are. And those who have committed the crime will pay heavily,” Modi said without naming Pakistan. The Prime Minister paid tributes to martyred CRPF jawans Ratan Thakur and Sanjay Sinha (both from Bihar) who lost their lives in the terror attack in J&K on Thursday.

Striking an emotional chord with the people of Barauni and Beguarai, Modi began his speech in local dialect when he said: “Sab logon ke pranam karai chee. (My greetings to all of you).”

As the crowd cheered, Modi dwelt at length how Bihar had been put on the road to development. The Prime Minister promised one more AIIMS in Bihar while laying the foundation for a fertilizer complex, an LPG pipeline, Patna Metro Railway project and a medical college at Chhapra. He also inaugurated Patna-Ranchi weekly air-conditioned express.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, both NDA alliance partners, were present on the occasion.