Patna: Union minister Chirag Paswan on Sunday said he would contest the upcoming assembly elections “not in Bihar, but for Bihar,” brushing aside what he described as attempts by jittery opponents to block his political path.Addressing a rally titled ‘Bahujan Bhim Sankalp Samagam’ at Rajgir in Nalanda, CM Nitish Kumar‘s home district, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president appealed to the public to remain vigilant against what he called a “false narrative” being peddled by the opposition INDIA bloc.Paswan accused the alliance of misleading the public by claiming the Constitution and reservation would be in danger if PM Narendra Modi returned to power. “They tried the same scare tactics in the Lok Sabha election, but people didn’t believe them and stood with PM Modi,” he said.Taking aim at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Union food processing minister said, “These days, Rahul roams around waving the red book of the Constitution. But when will he apologise for the Emergency imposed by his grandmother Indira Gandhi, which was the real murder of the Constitution?”He added that those supporting the INDIA bloc were once victims of the Emergency. “Back then, some of them went to jail under Indira Gandhi’s regime. Today they are aligning with the same Congress party. Jayaprakash ji gave the slogan of Sampoorna Kranti to overthrow the Congress. Lalu was with him then. Now he stands with the Congress that insulted JP,” Paswan said.The Hajipur MP also hit out at RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, mocking his promise to bring change in 20 months if elected. “He should first return the land he got in exchange for jobs during his father Lalu Prasad’s tenure as railway minister,” he said.Paswan recalled his 2020 slogan ‘Bihar First, Bihari First’ and said it had caused discomfort to many back then. “Now that I’m returning to Bihar, their discomfort has only grown. Every drop of my blood is for Bihar. As long as Chirag Paswan is alive, there is no threat to the Constitution or to reservation,” he said, urging voters to re-elect the NDA in Bihar.
