Bihar turned 'doobta' under Lalu Prasad's rule, says Nadda

Bihar, which had been progressing in many fields including academics, turned into "doobta Bihar" and plunged into "jungle raj" under Lalu Prasad government, said BJP chief JP Nadda on Saturday.

Addressing a Bihar Diwas programme organised by Delhi BJP's Purvanchal Morcha, Nadda said Bihar came out of darkness under Nitish Kumar's rule and witnessed progress under leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Lauding the state, the BJP president said Bihar has a special aura and dynamism -- It gave democracy to the world, and Nalanda and Vikramshila were great places of learning.

Even in modern times, students from Bihar studied in large numbers at Delhi University colleges and many professors from the state were known globally for their academic prowess, he said.

"Around 1970s, Bihar was a progressing state. It turned into 'doobta' (declining) Bihar under Lalu raj. It was difficult to venture out in the evenings in Patna in those times," he said, referring to Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) rule under Lalu Prasad's chief ministership during 1990s.

He said doctors were forced to escape from the state and new vehicles were taken out forcefully from showrooms for wedding parties.

Taking a dig at RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Nadda said some people say there was no 'jungle raj' in Bihar because they "were not born that time."

Nadda lauded Delhi BJP and its Purvanchal Morcha workers for bringing the party's government in the capital when it was slipping into "destruction" and called them to join campaigning in Bihar as well.

The Bihar assembly polls are due later this year.

Listing Bihar's progress under the National Democratic Alliance and Modi government, Nadda said Bihar had just 384 kilometres of rural roads in 2005, which has now expanded to over 1.12 lakh kilometres.

He cited the setting up of Indian Institute of Technology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Indian Institute of Mass Communication, and Indian Institute of Foreign Trade in the state and announced that Patna Medical College is going to be the biggest hospital in Asia.