Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Thursday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his Bihar visit, claiming that the Prime Minister’s trip to Gaya would mark the “Pind Daan” of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s political career.
Sharing a video message on X, Yadav accused PM Modi of ignoring pressing issues such as “vote theft, crime, and unemployment” in Bihar. “Prime Minister Modi ji is coming to Gaya today to perform the Pind Daan (post-death ritual) of Nitish Kumar’s politics and his party,” he said.
The remark carried symbolic weight as Gaya, or Gayaji, is considered one of the holiest sites in Hindu tradition for performing the ritual of ‘Pind Daan’ for departed ancestors.
During his visit, PM Modi is set to lay the foundation stone and inaugurate projects worth nearly ₹13,000 crore. His schedule includes flagging off two trains, addressing a public gathering, and inaugurating the Aunta–Simaria bridge project on NH-31, featuring a six-lane, 1.86 km bridge across the Ganga. Constructed at a cost of over ₹1,870 crore, the project is expected to significantly cut travel distances for heavy vehicles between North and South Bihar.
Meanwhile, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor also questioned the purpose of the Prime Minister’s repeated visits. “PM Modi has come to Bihar three times in the last few months, spending crores of rupees from the state’s poor. But when will unemployment end? When will migration stop? When will Bihar’s youth stop going to Gujarat for labour work? PM has not addressed these issues,” Kishor remarked.
The newly constructed bridge runs parallel to the old Rajendra Setu, a dilapidated rail-cum-road structure, and is expected to ease a travel detour of over 100 km for heavy vehicles.
