NDA to set up defence corridor in Bihar, form commission to mitigate floods

Sheohar/Sitamarhi/Madhubani (Bihar), Nov 3 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said a defence corridor will come up in Bihar and factories will be set up in each district if the NDA is voted to power.

Addressing back-to-back poll rallies in Sheohar, Sitamarhi and Madhubani, Shah exuded confidence that the NDA will again form government in Bihar, and the RJD-Congress will be "wiped out by 1 pm on November 14" when the election results are declared.

"From the time of Emperor Chandragupta Maurya to Narendra Modi, the Gandak, Koshi and Ganga rivers have wreaked flood havoc in Bihar. The NDA, if voted to power, will form a commission to make Bihar flood-free," he said.

The waters of the Koshi river will be harnessed to irrigate 50,000 hectares in the Mithilanchal region, he said.

Shah asserted that Rs 11,000 crore projects were underway to contain floods in Mithila-Koshi.

"We will establish a defence corridor in the state, and set up factories in each district in addition to building MSME and industrial parks... We will launch the Vande Bharat train from Sitamarhi to Ayodhya on the consecration day of the Sita temple," the home minister said.

Shah also said he performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the Rs 850-crore Sita temple at Punaura Dham in Sitamarhi.

Taking a jibe at the Congress, Shah said earlier, "Biryanis used to be served on a platter" to militants, but the Narendra Modi-led government launched Operation Sindoor within 10 days of the Pahalgam attack, neutralising terrorists in their own land.

"In future, military offensives against Pakistan, explosives manufactured in Bihar's proposed defence corridor will be used," he said.

Shah said under Modi, India is safe and secure and added that he ensured that Naxalism was eliminated from Bihar.

"Naxal-free Bihar will vote till 5 pm for the first time in contrast to RJD-Congress rule, when polling ended at 3 pm due to Maoist fear," he asserted.

RJD government turned Bihar into a den of kidnapping, murder, extortion, he said and added that it was Nitish Kumar and Modi who paved the way for its prosperity.

"PM sanctioned Rs 18.70 lakh-crore to Bihar in 10 years compared to Rs 2.80 lakh-crore during Lalu's rule," he said.

He also alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wants to protect infiltrators who are grabbing foodgrain, jobs and benefits meant for the poor.

"Rahul Baba, I dare you to organise as many as 'ghuspaithiya rallies across the nation as you can, but the NDA will drive out each and every infiltrator from here," he said.

Shah said the Mithilanchal region will be developed as a global knowledge centre at a cost of Rs 500 crore, and the Sitamarhi-Ayodhya Ramjanaki Path will be built for Rs 550 crore.

Besides, Rs 5,000 crore will be spent on doubling the Ayodhya-Sitamarhi rail track, he said.

Shah said he performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the Rs 850-cr Sita temple at Punaura Dham, which will be linked to rail and road to Ayodhya.

"We will launch the Vande Bharat train from Sitamarhi to Ayodhya on the consecration day of the Sita temple," he said.

The NDA will "transform Patna, Darbhanga, Purnea and Bhagalpur airports into global standards", he said, adding each district of Bihar will also have a medical college.

"Our PM sanctioned Rs 18.70 lakh-crore to Bihar in 10 years compared to only Rs 2.80 lakh crore during the RJD-Congress rule... Lalu Prasad's tenure was full of scams; only the Nitish Kumar-Narendra Modi pair can ensure a developed Bihar," Shah asserted.

All closed sugar mills in Bihar will also be revived within two-and-a-half years, he said.

Talking about the proposed Sita temple in Sitamarhi, Shah said it will be a religious, cultural and educational centre. PTI NAM RBT MNB