NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of terming the Chhath festival as "drama" while they celebrate "foreign festivals."
While addressing a rally in poll-bound Bihar's Saharsa, the Prime Minister slammed RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav for celebrating Halloween with his grandchildren and claimed that INDIA bloc leaders will never find time to visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
"These RJD and Congress people travel all over the world. We read about it on social media and feel ashamed, but they don't find time to visit the Ram Temple. There's a temple built there for Nishad Raj," PM Modi said.
"There's also a temple for Lord Valmiki in Ayodhya. There's also a temple for Shabari Mata in Ayodhya. If you have a problem with Ram, at least bow your head at the feet of Nishad Raj. Why are you ashamed of that? They won't go. They'll travel all over the world. The royal family of Congress, the royal family of RJD, celebrate festivals of the world and enjoy celebrating foreign festivals. But what do these people say when it comes to the Chhath festival? They say that these people are all just staging a drama," he added.
This comes a day after videos of Lalu celebrating Halloween with his grandchildren surfaced on social media on Saturday.
The videos were shared by Lalu’s daughter and RJD leader Rohini Acharya, who posted pictures of the family’s Halloween celebrations with the caption, “Happy Halloween to everyone.” The visuals showed Yadav posing for photos with his grandchildren dressed in costumes.
In February this year, Lalu had sparked a row after he called the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj “faltu” (meaningless). Asked about the large crowds attending the religious gathering, he had said, “The Kumbh has no meaning… It is just meaningless.”
His comment came while reacting to a stampede at the New Delhi railway station that left 18 people dead and several injured as passengers rushed to board trains bound for the religious congregation.
Asked about the massive crowds travelling to Prayagraj and measures for crowd management, the RJD chief had said, “Kumbh ka kahan koi matlab hai. Faltu hai Kumbh (Is there any meaning to Kumbh? It is just meaningless).”
The remarks triggered strong criticism from the BJP and several Hindu religious leaders, who accused Yadav of politicising the tragedy. Bihar BJP spokesperson Manoj Sharma said the statement reflected the RJD’s “mindset towards Hinduism,” while deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Sinha charged the RJD leader with insulting Sanatana dharma and engaging in politics over the deaths.
The Election Commission has announced the schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections. The 243 assembly seats will go to the polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with the counting of votes scheduled to take place on November 14.
The total number of electors in the final list stands at 7.42 crore, while there were 7.89 crore electors as of June 24 this year. An Election Commission press release stated that 65 lakh voters were removed from the draft list, and the number of electors in the draft list as of August 1, 2025, stood at 7.24 crore.
In the 2020 assembly election, the BJP contested 110 seats and won 74, securing 19.8% of the vote share. The Janata Dal (United) contested 115 seats and won 43, with a 15.7% vote share. The Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) contested seven seats, winning four, and achieved 0.9% of the vote share.
While addressing a rally in poll-bound Bihar's Saharsa, the Prime Minister slammed RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav for celebrating Halloween with his grandchildren and claimed that INDIA bloc leaders will never find time to visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
"These RJD and Congress people travel all over the world. We read about it on social media and feel ashamed, but they don't find time to visit the Ram Temple. There's a temple built there for Nishad Raj," PM Modi said.
"There's also a temple for Lord Valmiki in Ayodhya. There's also a temple for Shabari Mata in Ayodhya. If you have a problem with Ram, at least bow your head at the feet of Nishad Raj. Why are you ashamed of that? They won't go. They'll travel all over the world. The royal family of Congress, the royal family of RJD, celebrate festivals of the world and enjoy celebrating foreign festivals. But what do these people say when it comes to the Chhath festival? They say that these people are all just staging a drama," he added.
This comes a day after videos of Lalu celebrating Halloween with his grandchildren surfaced on social media on Saturday.
The videos were shared by Lalu’s daughter and RJD leader Rohini Acharya, who posted pictures of the family’s Halloween celebrations with the caption, “Happy Halloween to everyone.” The visuals showed Yadav posing for photos with his grandchildren dressed in costumes.
In February this year, Lalu had sparked a row after he called the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj “faltu” (meaningless). Asked about the large crowds attending the religious gathering, he had said, “The Kumbh has no meaning… It is just meaningless.”
His comment came while reacting to a stampede at the New Delhi railway station that left 18 people dead and several injured as passengers rushed to board trains bound for the religious congregation.
Asked about the massive crowds travelling to Prayagraj and measures for crowd management, the RJD chief had said, “Kumbh ka kahan koi matlab hai. Faltu hai Kumbh (Is there any meaning to Kumbh? It is just meaningless).”
The remarks triggered strong criticism from the BJP and several Hindu religious leaders, who accused Yadav of politicising the tragedy. Bihar BJP spokesperson Manoj Sharma said the statement reflected the RJD’s “mindset towards Hinduism,” while deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Sinha charged the RJD leader with insulting Sanatana dharma and engaging in politics over the deaths.
The Election Commission has announced the schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections. The 243 assembly seats will go to the polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with the counting of votes scheduled to take place on November 14.
The total number of electors in the final list stands at 7.42 crore, while there were 7.89 crore electors as of June 24 this year. An Election Commission press release stated that 65 lakh voters were removed from the draft list, and the number of electors in the draft list as of August 1, 2025, stood at 7.24 crore.
In the 2020 assembly election, the BJP contested 110 seats and won 74, securing 19.8% of the vote share. The Janata Dal (United) contested 115 seats and won 43, with a 15.7% vote share. The Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) contested seven seats, winning four, and achieved 0.9% of the vote share.
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