At a high-voltage election rally in Arrah on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an all-out attack on the opposition alliance in Bihar, claiming he possessed “insider information” on how Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav was declared the chief ministerial candidate of the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance). His speech, delivered with sharp political barbs and dramatic rhetoric, combined charges of coercion, internal discord, and moral corruption within the opposition, drawing a stark contrast between the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) “united front” and what he described as the opposition’s “unholy alliance of convenience.”

Modi alleged that the decision to project Tejashwi Yadav as the Mahagathbandhan’s chief ministerial face was not taken through consensus but under pressure from the RJD. In a pointed remark that evoked strong reactions, he claimed that the RJD “put a gun to the Congress’s head” and forced it to accept Tejashwi’s leadership. “Today I will tell you insider information,” Modi told a cheering crowd. “Just a day before the nomination filing, behind closed doors, gundagardi (hooliganism) was happening. Congress did not want to have an RJD chief minister, but RJD did not let go of the opportunity. They put a gun to Congress’s head—kanpatti pe katta—and stole the post. They made sure the announcement was made,” the prime minister declared, invoking a vivid metaphor to underscore his claim of RJD’s political dominance over its ally.

He accused the RJD of using coercion and intimidation to assert its will over Congress, saying that the grand old party had been humiliated and sidelined in the alliance. “The fight between RJD and Congress has increased a lot,” he added, claiming that the fissures within the Mahagathbandhan were deep and irreparable. According to him, the Congress had been completely ignored during the preparation of the alliance’s manifesto. “The RJD did gundagardi even in drafting the manifesto. Congress’s opinions were not heard. They were forced to sign off on a document written entirely to suit RJD’s interests,” Modi alleged.

Framing the RJD-Congress partnership as opportunistic and fragile, Modi warned the people of Bihar that the Mahagathbandhan would not last long after the elections. “This alliance will not work together. After the election results, they will break each other’s heads. This is not an alliance of principles; it is a partnership for power. Their only goal is to grab the chair of power by any means necessary,” he said, contrasting this with the NDA’s “united effort and shared vision for Bihar’s development.”

Throughout his speech, Modi repeatedly contrasted the NDA’s model of governance with what he termed the “dark age” of RJD rule. He invoked the memories of the “jungle raj” era, a period in the 1990s and early 2000s that his party frequently associates with widespread crime, corruption, and lawlessness under RJD governance. “On one side is the NDA’s governance, which has brought development, infrastructure, and opportunities. On the other side is the misgovernance of jungle raj, which plunged Bihar into darkness. That era of lawlessness and corruption emptied out the state, closed down industries, and forced people to migrate in search of livelihood,” Modi said.

He reminded the audience that under RJD’s earlier rule, crime was rampant and ordinary citizens, including doctors and businessmen, lived in fear of abduction and extortion. “That time was the darkest chapter of Bihar’s history,” he said, asserting that the NDA government had worked for years to lift Bihar out of that chaos and put it on the path of growth.

In another sharp attack, Modi accused the Mahagathbandhan of trying to “erase Bihar’s identity” by supporting infiltrators, linking his comments to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “Voter Adhikar Yatra.” “These people are conducting yatras in support of infiltrators in Bihar. They are completely dedicated—body and soul—to saving infiltrators. They are working to dilute Bihar’s identity, its culture, and its security,” Modi said. His remarks were an attempt to frame the opposition as sympathetic to illegal immigrants and disloyal to national interests, a recurring theme in the BJP’s campaign narrative.

Modi’s speech in Arrah followed similar public meetings he had held earlier in the day in Ara and Nawada, where he portrayed the Mahagathbandhan as a coalition of corrupt families and opportunistic politicians with no shared vision for Bihar’s development. “On one hand, you have the most corrupt family of Bihar, and on the other, the most corrupt family of India. Together, they are leading an alliance that will destroy Bihar’s future if given a chance,” he declared, referring to the RJD and Congress leaderships respectively. He described the NDA as a “cohesive and determined alliance” committed to continuing the work of development begun under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Modi also sought to link the opposition to what he described as an anti-national mindset, alleging that they were aligned in spirit with Pakistan. Referring to earlier national security operations like the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and India’s military strikes on foreign soil, Modi claimed that while the people of India had felt pride, the Congress and its allies had been uncomfortable. “When our soldiers struck inside enemy land, when Pakistan faced blasts, the Congress royal family lost sleep. Till today, both Congress and Pakistan are unable to come out of the shock,” he said. He accused Congress of prioritizing the interests of infiltrators over those of Indian citizens and claimed that its leaders were “taking out yatras to protect those who have no right over India’s resources.”

The prime minister’s speech also touched upon his government’s welfare measures and development agenda, reiterating that “Viksit Bihar” (Developed Bihar) was central to his vision of “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India). He cited several schemes aimed at empowering women and farmers, including the Lakhpati Didi initiative, CM Mahila Rozgaar Yojana, and the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi. He said that under Nitish Kumar’s leadership, more than 1.30 crore women had benefited from various welfare schemes, and small farmers had been brought into the mainstream of agricultural progress through direct bank transfers. “Earlier, small farmers didn’t even have bank accounts. Today, they receive PM Kisan Nidhi directly in their accounts. Had there been a Congress government, that money would have disappeared on the way,” he said, referencing former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s famous remark about leakage in welfare spending.

As Bihar heads toward the polls, Modi urged the electorate to recognize the difference between the NDA’s governance and the opposition’s alleged misrule. “This election is about Bihar’s future. The people of Bihar are wise; they have seen both sides. They know who works for them and who only thinks of themselves,” he said. He reiterated that the NDA’s focus was on industrial development, youth employment, and expanding educational and skill development opportunities to make Bihar a major contributor to the national economy. “When I talk about Viksit Bihar, I mean a Bihar where the youth do not have to leave their state to find work. Bihar’s young people will power India’s growth,” he added.

In his closing remarks, Modi reminded the audience that Bihar’s Assembly election would be held in two phases, on November 6 and November 11, with counting on November 14. He called on voters to deliver a strong mandate for the NDA to continue its work uninterrupted. “The people of Bihar understand everything. They will give a big mandate to those who work for them and reject those who once brought shame and suffering. The mood of the state is clear—the people stand with development, not with jungle raj,” he concluded to resounding applause.

The speech encapsulated the BJP’s central campaign narrative in Bihar: an appeal to stability, progress, and nationalism set against what the party portrays as the corruption, chaos, and appeasement politics of the opposition. As the campaign intensifies, Modi’s “insider information” claim and his charge of coercion against the Mahagathbandhan are likely to become key talking points in the NDA’s effort to frame the RJD-Congress alliance as fractured, opportunistic, and unfit to lead the state.